The report “DMK tries freebie strategy again” (March 21) says the ruling DMK party in Tamil Nadu in its manifesto for the Assembly elections scheduled for April has promised to distribute, free of cost, mixer-grinders to women, laptops to scheduled caste/tribe and backward class students in government colleges, 35 kg of rice in a month to below-poverty line (BPL) families and bus passes to senior citizens. In the last Assembly election the party had promised to distribute a free colour television set per family and rice at Rs 1 a kg, which it did after it came to power. All at taxpayer cost.
In a system riddled with corruption, who and what is there to stop pilferage of the promised 35 kg of free rice or the misuse of the free bus pass for senior citizens by others? Of what use, other than selling it off, is a mixer-grinder for families who have not been provided access to even potable water and electricity, and find it hard to arrange two square meals a day? India has yet not entered the laptop education era. What, then, is the sense in providing free laptops and that too to scheduled caste/tribe and backward class students in government colleges? Such promises are solely meant to capture certain vote-banks and are tantamount to bribing impressionable voters. This practice violates the very principle of democracy, which is free and fair elections. The Election Commission must take steps to stop such practices.
M C Joshi, Lucknow
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