Election
Commission should make election a fair deal
There are
political parties in India which ahead of any election are intent on overcoming
the trust deficit by offering voters everything from free power and subsidised
scooters to unlimited wi-fi and interest-free loans. They even got to the extent of handing out colour television sets to
all, and proceed to deliver on it after being voted to power. Freebies have
been an integral part of the manifestos of all parties in serious contention
for power in some States. One particular party promised fans, mixers and
grinders, and promptly gave them away over the next five years. There was
another party which introduced the noon-meal scheme in schools, which increased
enrolment and reduced dropout rates. Still another party gave away free
bicycles to schoolgirls, which again slowed down the alarming dropout rate
among girls in schools in rural areas. The free laptop scheme, free rice etc
are promised by politicians just to win elections.
Nothing comes
free - once it is realized by voters they would understand the strategy of
political parties. Enticing common man to get their support is no doubt the
strategy that is implemented in a very systematic manner just before the
election procedure sets in but it should be strictly forbidden. Election
commission should look into it and thus make the election a fair deal.
The amount politicians
invest during elections is sponsored by affluent people who in turn expect favour
once the party rises to power. Instead of freebies, the government should
provide them with free quality education, health care, ensuring well oiled
system of mobility, good drinking water, reclamation of extinct water bodies
with removal of illicit encroachment, cluster free network of drainage system,
revamping agricultural sector, and a robust industrial growth. It is appropriate
to quote the popular Chinese saying, “do not feed the people with free fish,
but teach them how to fish”.
The electorate needs
to show more maturity and check to it that whether too much of populism is
hampering the development in education, health care and infrastructure. All
this "dole-out" policy looks very attractive but it should not be a
deterrent in the State development. People shouldn't depend on freebie in any
part of country. They should ask government or political parties to create job
opportunities.
Free drinks,
free water, free electricity what not has been done to influence the voters but
at whose cost? Just everything free is going to cost the voters in the long
run. Parliament must enact a law as soon as possible banning these kinds of
promises by the political parties during election time. They are playing with
nation's economy for their selfish ends. More freebies leads to more poverty
which again leads to more freebies.
We don't have
strong leaders with leadership skills to implement pro-entrepreneurship
policies and programs. All the governments have done since Independence is
treat people like babies who don't know how to feed themselves. There exists several
essential services that are necessary. Whichever service can be privatized
should be done so as soon as possible. All reasonable people in power should
rethink this socialism and implement free market policies. Freebies can be
accepted for the health, food, shelter and education of the poor who cannot
afford it. The freebie like scooter, TV is just the waste of tax payers’ money.
In foreign countries this is called white corruption.
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