An observation made by the Madras High Court on “freebie culture” in Tamil Nadu last Thursday while hearing a habeas corpus petition has evoked widespread support from the common man. A division bench of Justices N Kirubakaran and Abdul Quddhose, while hearing the petition filed against the preventive detention of a black marketeer last month wanted the Government to furnish all details like the steps it has taken to eradicate smuggling of rice meant for distribution through fair price shops (under Public Distribution System).
The person detained has been held for facilitating smuggling of rice meant for distribution among the Below Poverty Line (BPL) section of the society. Justice Kirubakaran questioned the propriety of distributing free rice among all sections of the society through the PDS and said such rice should be made available only to poor people (holders of BPL ration cards).
“Providing freebies to all people irrespective of their economic status is counterproductive. Such culture has made people lazy and led to a situation where migrant workers from northern States were expected to perform menial jobs,” said Justice Kirubakaran who is known for speaking his mind out whenever he comes across injustice and apathy on the part of powers that be.
“It is obligatory in the part of the Government to provide bare necessities like rice and groceries only to the needy poor people. But successive Governments have extended the benefits to all for political benefits. The peoples’ mind itself got changed to expect everything free from the Government,” said the judges.
Over the last two decades, Tamil Nadu has emerged as the capital of freebies offered by the State’s two main political parties. The DMK and the AIADMK blame each other for offering voters freebies at the time of general election. During the 2006 assembly election, the DMK literally shocked the electorate with free colour television sets and mixies along with eice at the rate of Rs 1/- per kg.
It paid rich electoral dividends to the DMK which romped home, though with reduced majority.
But AIADMK leader J Jayalalithaa paid it back in the 2011 assembly election by offering voters mixies, grinders, table fans, lap tops for all high school students and bicycles for girl students.
While promising the voters that she would continue the free distribution of the above mentioned goods , Jayalalithaa offered subsidised scooties to all working women in the State during the 2016 assembly elections and walked her way back to Fort Saint George.
Taking a cue from Tamil Nadu, other States too began freebie culture upsetting the economies of the exchequer. Though there is general feeling among the people that the freebie culture has corrupted the minds of the people, no one was willing to bell the cat. The observations made by the judges has set the ball rolling again.
“The BJP is completely against this freebie culture and we have been campaigning against it,” said Thirupati Narayanan, party spokesman . But N Gopalaswamy, former chief election commissioner of India said the commission would not be able to do anything to check this phenomenon.
“If an individual candidate offers the voters with freebies, the commission may be able to take action against him. But when a recognised political party makes an offer that it would distribute household items or lap tops free of cost , the situation changes. The ECI cannot question it because the party is making these offers in the manifesto,” said Gopalaswamy.
But he said if a voter approaches the court questioning the propriety of freebies, then it would become another story. The freebie culture in the State has come under severe criticism in films which lambasted it as a practice against self respect.