Skip to main content

Freebies curse on people, end menace in elections to strengthen Indian democracy

By Sudhansu R Das 

Freebies in the election have become the single most potential threat to the economy, society, culture, politics and democracy. Freebies help the inefficient persons to rule the educated and the efficient people for decades. Once a leader grabs power with freebies he continues giving freebies to remain in power; it ruins the country beyond repair. When a building cracks it can be repaired; if a road has potholes it can be re-laid. If the human mind gets addicted to freebies it is difficult to repair. The result is a massive idle energy based vote bank which adversely affects people’s creativity, productivity and entrepreneurship. Freebies can weaken the nation from within as the core strength of the nation gets eroded. Ultimately it leads to loss of independence of minds and control over economic assets and natural resources.
Since independence, India has lost many generations of youth due to distribution of freebies. The freebie war has been intensified as the 2024 Lok Sabha election draws nearer. “Ye Dil Mange More”- political parties compete with one another to declare mountains of freebies due to the fear of losing elections. Today, no political party can win an election without promising freebies which becomes a curse on people after the election. The ever illusive freebies precipitate into endless sufferings for people; it drains the state’s exchequer and overburden people with various taxes; price rise in essential things like food, houses, education and health facilities etc torment people.
Today, the list of freebies gets longer which includes everything: house, food, loan waivers, land, pension, subsidies, computer, cycle, fridge, scooters, pilgrim tours, dinner party, cash, loan waivers, electricity and water etc. In fact, the freebies are given in one hand and double the amount of freebies in the form of taxes are collected in the other hand; it is just like money lending business. People are left at the mercy of private hospitals, private educational institutions, builders, greedy traders and middlemen who increase the price of their products and services at will in post election.
Over decades, freebies have created a Frankenstein monster; if the monster is not satisfied, it will devour the political parties within no time. “He has given me a free house, what will you give to me? '', asks the monster to the leader. How to get rid of this frankenstein monster- the Freebie is the biggest challenge before the country.
India desperately needs good educated leaders with courage and political skill; who can work relentlessly on various social and economic issues; who can educate voters what is good for them; who can tell voters the danger of freebie culture. Indian politics provides a huge opportunity to the strong, honest and efficient people to make a career. A vacuum has been created and the majority of people want the emergence of good leaders who will put their courageous step on the political field.
Politics is the only career which gives opportunity to people for giving seva to people; genuine seva gives immense pleasure to leaders who are honest and kind hearted. It is not necessary that the good people will win the election; but the ripple they will create by contesting the election can turn into a wave tomorrow and a storm later. India awaits for a deep churning of the ocean the way it was churned by gods and demons in Indian mythology. Educated, good and bold people stepping into the political field is the only way to save democracy, people, culture and the nation. Indian intellectual mass should act or cast aside their intellectual tag, social status, University degrees and accolades.

Comments

TRENDING

Urgent need to study cause of large number of natural deaths in Gulf countries

By Venkatesh Nayak* According to data tabled in Parliament in April 2018, there are 87.76 lakh (8.77 million) Indians in six Gulf countries, namely Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). While replying to an Unstarred Question (#6091) raised in the Lok Sabha, the Union Minister of State for External Affairs said, during the first half of this financial year alone (between April-September 2018), blue-collared Indian workers in these countries had remitted USD 33.47 Billion back home. Not much is known about the human cost of such earnings which swell up the country’s forex reserves quietly. My recent RTI intervention and research of proceedings in Parliament has revealed that between 2012 and mid-2018 more than 24,570 Indian Workers died in these Gulf countries. This works out to an average of more than 10 deaths per day. For every US$ 1 Billion they remitted to India during the same period there were at least 117 deaths of Indian Workers in Gulf ...

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor*  This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

History, culture and literature of Fatehpur, UP, from where Maulana Hasrat Mohani hailed

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*  Maulana Hasrat Mohani was a member of the Constituent Assembly and an extremely important leader of our freedom movement. Born in Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh, Hasrat Mohani's relationship with nearby district of Fatehpur is interesting and not explored much by biographers and historians. Dr Mohammad Ismail Azad Fatehpuri has written a book on Maulana Hasrat Mohani and Fatehpur. The book is in Urdu.  He has just come out with another important book, 'Hindi kee Pratham Rachna: Chandayan' authored by Mulla Daud Dalmai.' During my recent visit to Fatehpur town, I had an opportunity to meet Dr Mohammad Ismail Azad Fatehpuri and recorded a conversation with him on issues of history, culture and literature of Fatehpur. Sharing this conversation here with you. Kindly click this link. --- *Human rights defender. Facebook https://www.facebook.com/vbrawat , X @freetohumanity, Skype @vbrawat

India's health workers have no legal right for their protection, regrets NGO network

Counterview Desk In a letter to Union labour and employment minister Santosh Gangwar, the civil rights group Occupational and Environmental Health Network of India (OEHNI), writing against the backdrop of strike by Bhabha hospital heath care workers, has insisted that they should be given “clear legal right for their protection”.

Uttarakhand tunnel disaster: 'Question mark' on rescue plan, appraisal, construction

By Bhim Singh Rawat*  As many as 40 workers were trapped inside Barkot-Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi after a portion of the 4.5 km long, supposedly completed portion of the tunnel, collapsed early morning on Sunday, Nov 12, 2023. The incident has once again raised several questions over negligence in planning, appraisal and construction, absence of emergency rescue plan, violations of labour laws and environmental norms resulting in this avoidable accident.

Women's rights leaders told to negotiate with Muslimness, as India's donor agencies shun the word Muslim

By A Representative Former vice-president Hamid Ansari has sharply criticized donor agencies engaged in nongovernmental development work, saying that they seek to "help out" marginalizes communities with their funds, but shy away from naming Muslims as the target group, something, he insisted, needs to change. Speaking at a book release function in Delhi, he said, since large sections of Muslims are poor, they need political as also social outreach.

Job opportunities decreasing, wages remain low: Delhi construction workers' plight

By Bharat Dogra*   It was about 32 years back that a hut colony in posh Prashant Vihar area of Delhi was demolished. It was after a great struggle that the people evicted from here could get alternative plots that were not too far away from their earlier colony. Nirmana, an organization of construction workers, played an important role in helping the evicted people to get this alternative land. At that time it was a big relief to get this alternative land, even though the plots given to them were very small ones of 10X8 feet size. The people worked hard to construct new houses, often constructing two floors so that the family could be accommodated in the small plots. However a recent visit revealed that people are rather disheartened now by a number of adverse factors. They have not been given the proper allotment papers yet. There is still no sewer system here. They have to use public toilets constructed some distance away which can sometimes be quite messy. There is still no...

Bihar’s land at ₹1 per acre for Adani sparks outrage, NAPM calls it crony capitalism

By A Representative   The National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM) has strongly condemned the Bihar government’s decision to lease 1,050 acres of land in Pirpainti, Bhagalpur district, to Adani Power for a 2,400 MW coal-based thermal power project. 

Sardar Patel was on Nathuram Godse's hit list: Noted Marathi writer Sadanand More

Sadanand More (right) By  A  Representative In a surprise revelation, well-known Gujarati journalist Hari Desai has claimed that Nathuram Godse did not just kill Mahatma Gandhi, but also intended to kill Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Citing a voluminous book authored by Sadanand More, “Lokmanya to Mahatma”, Volume II, translated from Marathi into English last year, Desai says, nowadays, there is a lot of talk about conspiracy to kill Gandhi, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, and Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, but little is known about how the Sardar was also targeted.