Come Election time and here comes the time for freebies to rock the party. I am just amazed at how a small change leads to a big revolution, just like what the advent of T-20 did to Indian cricket, just like what MMS’s 1991 economic policy did to Indian economy or just like what Winston Churchill’s speech did to the English troops. And Indian politics is full of changes like these. For “aam aadmi” it is a very tricky concept to understand and that has probably paved the way for all those bad boys- the Rajas, the Kalmadis to dominate the proceedings. Different times throw up different faces of politics. Dynasty politics, Caste politics, politics of linguistic chauvinists are one among the prominent political genre that exists in the world’s largest democracy and the latest entry into this illustrious system is the freebie politics.
Cambridge’s dictionary defines freebies as ”something which is given to you without you having to pay for it, especially as a way of attracting your support for or interest in something.”
The Indian public was quite unaware of this term with the awareness being limited to just the scholars, journalists and English professors. But over the last 5 to 6 years, freebies have stole the show with their impacts largely visible in Tamil Nadu. It was Television sets in 2006 and this time its even bigger with laptops for students, mixis and grinders for house wives. The impact of freebies are such that the political parties instead of fighting for votes seem to fight in offering freebies. Well, surely these are not good signs of a good democracy.
Now the term ‘freebies’ has become a part and parcel of affairs. Our politicians implement this concept as a cover up for all the controversies that surround them. It is a medium in which they can silence their critics. DMK which was voted to power in 2006 thanks largely to the freebies that they promised as part of their election manifesto went on to become home to the biggest scam in the Indian history-the 2G spectrum scam. This is where general awareness of public should come into play. They should be educated enough for them to understand that these freebies are provided by our Netas but by dwarfing their own scam-filled and controversy-fuelled political career.
It doesn’t mean that we should dethrone the usual freebies. Of course who would say NO to something that is offered and that too free of cost. So accept freebies but not freebie politics. For many first time voters which includes me, this is something that ought to be a matter of consideration before pressing on the voting button because a freebie worth of thousands results in an abhorrent loot of thousands of crores.
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