Punjab poll goodies: FM to vet the maths

Ahead of the Punjab assembly election, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee is vetting the Congress manifesto to see how far the party can go in matching the populism of its chief rival, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).

The Congress is contemplating the all-important poll sop of free power to farmers, continuing the SAD-BJP scheme that catapulted them to office in 2007. Mindful that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had publicly shot down the proposal last time, terming it a “populist gimmick”, the party has sent its draft manifesto to Mukherjee to assess the financial viability.

According to some sections within the Congress, SAD scored over the Congress by promising free power and water to farmers. Incidentally, it was the Congress, led by Captain Amarinder Singh, which had introduced the scheme in 2005 just months away from the polls.

However, PM Manmohan Singh had then frowned upon the Punjab government’s move to provide free power, saying, “Populism and populist gimmicks no longer impress people. Hard work does. Promises like free electricity and others that cannot be sustained will not fetch results. Actual performance makes the difference.” The Congress had then resisted the temptation of competitive populism. It lost the 2007 election.

Now, with the SAD affected by the anti-incumbency factor, the plan is back on the Congress agenda. A senior party leader said, “We are cautious this time, as the PM had made it clear we must promise only what we can deliver. So, Pranab Mukherjee is looking at the financial implications of poll promises.”

Power subsidy has crippled the state’s finances. The government has Rs 4,257 crore debt on account of free power alone. The government doles out free power not just for agricultural use but also 100 free units a month to scheduled-caste (SC) domestic consumers and non-SC below poverty line consumers.