The Supreme Court on Wednesday came down heavily on political parties promising “freebies” just before polls. The court made harsh observations while questioning, “Are we not creating a class of parasites.”. The top court said that people should be brought into the mainstream for development.
A bench of Justices BR Gavai and Augustine George Masih said in their observation that people are less likely to work if they would get free ration and money.
According to Moneycontrol, the BJP government will have to allocate Rs 13000 crore to fulfill poll promises that it made to the people. As per the report published by the website, the government already allocated Rs 11000 crore from the budget and if the BJP goes with its poll promises, the government may witness revenue deficit for the first time.
A report by Aequitas Investments highlights how political parties are increasingly relying on freebies in the name of welfare schemes to secure votes, often at the cost of state finances.
“As political parties compete in what appears to be a race to the bottom, welfare schemes and “freebies” have evolved from mere campaign promises to the new currency of political power,” it says.
The report highlights that as the race for political power intensifies, the challenge will be to ensure that short-term political gains do not lead to long-term economic distress.
It says the 2024 general elections marked a significant shift in the country’s fiscal policies. State elections further demonstrated how political parties are competing in a “race to the bottom,” offering more and more freebies to outdo each other.
