Freebies and Delhi Election 

 

Elections now-a-days are fought on freebies Grather than development agenda. Every political party enters in the fierce competition of populism by freeing more than its competitor without taking the fiscal prudence of freeing into consideration. Modi guaranty v/s Kejriwal guaranty roared in Delhi election rallies. The threat of withdrawing freebies was marketed by one party and the other assured that freebies given by the present government will continue The Delhi High Court closed the PIL moved by three lawyers regarding frantic calls being made by AAP that if BJP will come to power the freebies will be withdrawn, noting that the Election Commission of India (ECI) had taken cognizance of their complaint. It looks strange but true that tax payer has no say when his hard earned money is being distributed by politicians as freebies to promote their own interests. Development of Delhi was secondary, while as Freebies had become primary for winning elections. It is worthwhile to mention here that Delhi has to repay debt worth 4914 crore in 2024- 25 its expenditure in 2024-25 (excluding debt repayment) was estimated to be Rs 71086 crore 2% higher than the revised estimate of 2023-24 and still political parties talked of free electricity, free water, free travel on state buses for women, salary to puro hits/Granthis, monthly payment to women, free healthcare to senior citizens and pension to above 70, financial aid to auto drivers, financial aid to pregnant women free education etc. The list produced by political parties in their manifestoes is too long, with minor variation from party to party. In the you gov-Mint CPR millennial survey held in 2024 against the backdrop of trend of election campaign focussing on freebie culture in politics 78% labelled them as vote seeking KOSHUR SAMACHAR MARCH 2025 tactics, over 56% of the respondents viewed freebies as unnecessary and 61 percent expressed their concern about their impact on national finances. 84% of wealthy respondents feel freebies as economically harmful while as 46% of lower income group respondents share this view. Lower income group see subsidies particularly in health care as justified contrast with wealthy respondents. and Freebies are not confined to Delhi alone rather they have become a national phenomenon. Its protagonists and antagonists produce their own logic and make it imperative to analyse its legal and economic sanctity. The former project it as a strategy to uplift the poor while as the latter feel it harmful for the smooth functioning of democracy. They term it as bribery for the voter and questioned it in courts Madras high court in S Subramanian Babaji vis Government of Tamil Nadu case had mentioned that freebies create unequal ground for elections. PIL. submitted in Supreme court by advocate Ashwini Upadhyaya in opposition to the practice of providing or promising freebies to voters, argued that the promise of freebies unfairly influences voters, and amounts to bribery (Section 1718) and undue influence (Section 171C) under the Indian Penal Code, 1860. Further, he argued that utilisation of public funds to provide freebies that do not serve a 'public purpose' violate Articles 162, 266(3) and 282 of the Constitution of India. The supreme court of India felt the seriousness of the issue but held that it cannot prevent political parties from making promises that are aimed at fulfilling constitutional mandates if elected to power. The Election Commission of India (ECI) filed an affidavit in the case upon the Court's insistence. The ECI refused to regulate the practice of promising freebies in election campaigns. They submitted that the offering or distributing freebies was a policy decision the Election Commission would be overreaching its powers if it regulated the pla be overreaching its that it was the voters duty to assess the reebies financial viability and effect on the economy. The freebie culture needs to be stopped else it will restrain economic growth by canalising funds from productive to unproductive ventures Freebies costed Sri Lanka heavily as to keep with the election promises the government of Sn- Lanka provided massive tax cuts, free goods and services as a result its economy collapsed. According to estimates, the cost of these freebies for Maharashtra is projected to be as high as 96,000 crore, or 2.2% of the state's GDP. It also leads to a budgetary crisis, as we are witnessing in various states. Ultimately, the honest taxpayer has to bear this burden. Reserve Bank of India in an article on 16th June, 2022 held that the gap between state revenue and expenditure has worsened by an increase in freebies offered by State governments In highly debt-ridden states such as Andhra Pradesh and Punjab, freebies have crossed 2% of the states Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) They allocate over 10% of their revenue to Tubsidies, Freebie distribution significantly strains public finances with costs ranging from 0.1% to 2.7% of the gross state domestic product across various states. Niti Ayog felt that there is an urgent need for states to strike a balance between welfare spending, announcing freebies, financial assistance and long-term financial discipline as their debts are mounting, which may derail development priorities. NITI Aayog cautions that freebies impose heavy burden on state finances, cripple fiscal health, and jeopardise critical investments in infrastructure, education, and healthcare. It has raised a red flag over the growing culture of giving freebies in states, especially before elections, warning that unchecked populist measures are pushing several state governments towards fiscal instability. Its alarm on 28 Jan 2025 was amid freebie war going on in Delhi elections It is worthwhile to mention that political leaders mislead public by terming freebite as welfare schemes. The two are quite contrary to each other. Frechtes ans free of cost to gain public support while as welfare schemes are targeted to those who need help the most. It includes subsidies, construction of roads, bridges, hospitals etc. The objective of welfare schemes is society while as freebies target voters. Welfare schemes are positive while as freebies bear a negative impact in the long run. Freebies have a short objective while as welfare schemes have a long-lasting effect on the society. Welfare policies such as free public services in education and health- are meant for all sections of society and included în state budget and government programmes. In contrast, a select vote bank is the recipient of freebies aimed at securing their votes. Freebies develop negative orientation by growing dependence in people. It kills the eagerness to work, Freebies make poor people to participate in elections for they get lured by the offerings. In a survey conducted by Association for democratic reforms a Delhi blazed ICO, arros 543 parliamentary cestituencies in Indistond more than 47% of voters credere d of ch violating for a particuder candidate Howevery be mid that the age of money and freies for votes la no guaranty for a in lectione The Lalli Belize Yojana helped By to regalia poneer in Madhya Prides even after 18 years of its fule but in Telangana, K Chandrasekhar Races BR5 lost state dentine despite offering a plethora of fresties. Voters found Congress offerings more attractive. In Rajasthan, the offerings, incentives and guarantees of Ashok Gehlot governinent could not help Congress to gain power It can be concluded that good ecownica means maximum good to maximum people rin the contrary bad economics is an outcome of wrong decisions-hurts people for long is is for people to make a choice between freebies and development.

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Courtesy MK Bhat  and Koshur Samachar-2025 , March