New Delhi: Days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi hit out at opposition parties for giving free gifts to garner votes, the BJP has asked its state units to refrain from announcing “short-term freebies” in its election manifesto. Giving free gifts to state units puts a burden on the exchequer and can lead to financial crisis for the states.
Top public servants at a meeting in April was warned The prime minister drains on the resources caused by such measures, citing the possibility of a crisis erupting like Sri Lanka in some of these states.
BJP sources told ThePrint that there is a consensus within the party to discourage the culture of giving away freebies and instead bring about transformative changes in people’s lives and make a long-term impact by creating jobs or improving infrastructure.
Inaugurating the Bundelkhand Expressway in Uttar Pradesh earlier this month, Modi said warning against the peopleRewari The culture of giving free gifts for votes” and also said that the practice is “very dangerous” for the country.
Rewari, a popular North Indian sweet, was a metaphor used by Modi to refer to free gifts given by parties.
He said, those indulging in “Rewari culture” will never build new expressways, airports and defense corridors.
this was it No For the first time when the Prime Minister raised this issue.
Though Modi did not name anyone at the inauguration of the Bundelkhand Expressway, the rhetoric against free subsidies was seen as targeted against opposition parties, especially the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which won the Delhi Assembly elections not only twice, but also against the BJP. but also managed to form the government in Punjab earlier this year.
Free water and electricity is a shared promise made by you and the party promised 300 units of free electricity to all domestic consumers in Gujarat on winning the state elections to be held later this year. Gujarat is a traditional stronghold of the BJP.
Explaining the reason for the PM’s remarks, a BJP insider said, “AAP has succeeded in making free education, electricity and water an election issue in Delhi and Punjab.”
“Since AAP is a new party, people were impressed by the success of its Delhi model (where it introduced them). Now AAP is making such promises in every state where it is taking over Congress, but it can harm BJP (vote bank) also.
“Now, in Gujarat, the BJP is facing such a threat. This is the reason why PM attacked Kejriwal.Rewari culture’. AAP is copying the success of BJP by offering several schemes to different sections of the society by direct bank transfer.
Delhi Chief Minister and AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal responds to Modi’s attack on free culture by stating“We are not distributing freebies but laying the foundation of the country by giving free education, healthcare… Free education, healthcare are not freebies, forgiving friends’ debt is ‘free key’ revdl (free of cost)’.”
States stand up against concessions
BJP sources said the welfare schemes offered by the Modi government were not the same as the free schemes offered in some of the opposition-led states.
PM Ujjwala Yojana (for providing LPG connections to women below poverty line) or Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana (for income support to farmers) is not compared with the promise of free electricity or free scooty (made by other parties) May go. A BJP source.
“These schemes (of the Centre) are bringing about a transformative change in the lives of the poor. They are building wealth. Short-term measures are draining the finances of the states. We have made such promises in the past, but now there is a general consensus that we should refrain from announcing schemes that do not help the poor or create any wealth in the long run,” the source said. “If there is a need to announce such schemes, they can be given in installments by charging some fee.”
To take on the Samajwadi Party (SP), the BJP, ahead of the assembly elections to be held in Uttar Pradesh this year, announced That she will give free scooty to college going girls on the occasion of Holi and Diwali, free electricity for five years to farmers and two free LPG cylinders to beneficiaries under Ujjwala scheme. It had also announced free travel in state buses for the elderly.
Party sources said that apart from attacking opposition parties, another reason for the PM’s stand against the freebies is the recognition of drain on the exchequer.
According to government data, the Centre’s plan to provide 5 kg of food grains every month to about 80 crore poor people under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (announced at the beginning of the Kovid epidemic) is costing the government Rs 13,000 crore per month. .
According to the estimates of the government, in the last two years alone, more than Rs 3 lakh crore has been spent on this scheme. Sources said the PM may prepare the country not to give benefits beyond September.
“We will not discontinue many (existing) social schemes, but we will make people aware of the difference between good subsidies and bad subsidies. The party will do this discrimination by not giving such free gifts in the election manifesto. “We will find ways to improve people’s lives by providing meaningful subsidies.”
Himachal Pradesh BJP President Suresh Kumar Kashyap said, “Every state decides its priority for its people…long time”. “Rather, we will focus on such commitments that will generate employment, skills, infrastructure in the state,” he said.
In BJP-ruled Himachal Pradesh – where elections are due later this year – the party has announced various concessions.
Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur at a function in April announced 125 units of free electricity to consumers (at an estimated cost of Rs 250 crore to the exchequer), waiver of water bills in rural areas and 50 per cent discount on travel fares on state buses.
Speaking to ThePrint, Gujarat BJP vice-president Janak Bhai Patel said “people need to be educated about how such promises can ruin states”.
“When Kejriwal promised 300 free power units, we can also make such promises. We are in government, but our President said that such promises will harm Gujarat’s prosperity and make Gujarat like Sri Lanka.
(Edited by Polomi Banerjee)
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