Free for all voters

Ahead of general elections, EC must issue guidelines banning parties from doling out freebies.

A recent Tamil feature film, Sarkar, contained scenes that criticised the culture of freebies. This triggered such strong opposition from the ruling party that the producer was forced to cut those scenes and re-release the film. This episode highlights the pivotal position that freebies have come to play.

It all started with the late M G Ramachandran (MGR) distributing free dhotis and sarees and each election saw an increase in the value of freebies. Before that, many states had been driven to financial ruin by the promise of free power to farmers. The quantum leap in the freebies’ culture was in 2006 when the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) promised a free colour TV to each and every household which did not possess it. There were no guidelines regarding income or eligibility. Not surprisingly, the DMK defeated Jayalalithaa’s AIADMK in the assembly elections.

The 2011 election was her turn to outdo the DMK and her manifesto promised freebies worth a staggering Rs 9,000 crore: 9 lakh laptops to all Plus Two students costing Rs 912 crore; 25 lakh free mixers, grinders and table-fans costing Rs 1,250 crore; 4 grams of gold plus Rs 50,000 cash to poor girls at the time of their wedding amounting to Rs 14 crore; 60,000 green houses to poor farmers at a cost of Rs 1.8 lakh per house amounting to Rs 1,080 crore; free rice to 1.83 crore families for Rs 4,500 crore; and free cows and goats to poor families in selected rural areas for Rs 56 crore.

No prizes for guessing who won. Thereafter, the attempt of each party to outdo the other has become a vicious form of competitive populism which, if unchecked, will lead to financial ruin.