Opinion | New Government In Delhi: Will It Curb Freebie Culture?

Unfortunately, the canon of political debate—along with the grammar and phraseology of public discourse—is sentimentalist to the core. Facts, common sense, and reason play little role in it; unsurprisingly, dogmas and shibboleths shape much of the debate, while questioning and doubt are dismissed contemptuously.

As a result, no one is allowed to question the prudence of any political promise or action. So, questions such as “why should people get freebies" are not even asked, let alone answered. Quite apart from the issue of rectitude, there is the matter of cost. It is an indisputable fact that everything has a price—whether electricity, water, or public transport. After all, when our political masters offer something for free, they do not personally foot the bill. The public exchequer bears the cost, which ultimately means the taxpayer picks up the tab.

Now, the taxpayer is also the citizen and thus the voter. Ergo, the voter pays their bills by way of taxes.

The politician plays a role similar to that of the clever monkey in the fable of two bickering cats fighting over a piece of bread. Suiting their electoral calculus, netas offer certain sections of society incentives—such as free electricity—and sanctimoniously proclaim themselves champions of those groups.

Anyone who questions the propriety or even the benefits of such promises is swiftly denounced as an enemy of the poor, the intended beneficiaries, and so on. This denunciation does not come solely from the politicians making these promises but also from intellectual elites. Often, the standard retort to any scepticism is, “Arrey, bechaaron ko kuchh toh milega" (The poor beneficiaries will get something, at least).

A successful politician will simply introduce another freebie next time—again tailored to suit their electoral interests. They keep monkeying around. Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal certainly did so, enjoying the political gravy train for a decade. But then, as Abraham Lincoln famously said, “You cannot fool all the people all the time."

Besides, while all of us may be dead in the long run, we live long enough to suffer the consequences of politicians’ sins—exactly what happened in the national capital. With AAP devoting its energy and time to distributing old freebies and devising new ones, the party’s top brass forgot that it was elected to govern. Governance and development were almost entirely ignored.

Worse still, since bad ideas spread quickly, other parties also caught the freebie virus. Despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi publicly expressing his disdain for revdis, his party was also compelled to resort to freebies. It focused on the ‘Ladki Bahin Yojana’ in Maharashtra—which paid rich dividends in the Assembly elections a few months ago.

To win the Delhi state polls, while AAP offered women Rs 2,100 per month, the BJP promised Rs 2,500 and Rs 21,000 for pregnant women. Owing to AAP’s populist measures, Delhi’s revenue surplus declined from Rs 14,457 crore in 2022-23 to Rs 4,966 crore in 2023-24. If the new BJP government in Delhi follows through on its promise, the revenue loss will amount to approximately Rs 11,400 crore, leading to a deficit of around Rs 6,000 crore.

The way out of this conundrum is a balanced approach—one that prioritises targeted welfare over indiscriminate handouts. The BJP-led government at the Centre has weeded out undeserving beneficiaries from its schemes; this approach needs to be replicated at the state level. The Delhi government may consider a more sustainable model of providing financial assistance based on income levels or specific criteria, such as employment status or family dependents.

Additionally, policymakers must foster a discourse that values long-term economic stability over short-term electoral gains. Public awareness campaigns and transparent budgetary discussions can help educate voters about the trade-offs involved in populist policies. If the electorate understands the economic consequences of excessive freebies, there will be less pressure on political parties to engage in competitive populism.

For this to happen, intellectuals, editorialists, and civil society organisations must play a more responsible role; it is a big ask though, given their Left-leaning, dirigiste proclivities.

As the BJP takes the reins of Delhi, it must carefully navigate this tricky terrain. Hopefully, AAP’s significant setback—if not its outright demise—will curb the growth of freebie culture.

The author is a freelance journalist. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18’s views.