What an irony, the party which strongly opposed the freebies culture day and night has now offered similar bounties through its poll manifesto released for the upcoming Delhi Elections.
Reportedly, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has promised a monthly aid of Rs. 2,500 to women and Rs. 21,000 to pregnant women in its manifesto for the Delhi assembly elections. The Saffron party’s manifesto was launched by Union minister and party president Jagat Prakash Nadda.
It is ludicrous that the leaders of the party, who used to speak against opposition parties’ stand to give amenities to people free of cost have brazenly started following the pursuit without even thinking that how will they face the electorate after this U-turn, that too not only in Delhi but all across the nation.
What will be more embarrassing for this party is the fact that it was PM Narendra Modi, who initially spoke against this culture terming it as ‘Muft Ki Revdi’ and had broadcast numerous flaws of this culture, with a claim that this could also prove detrimental to the interests of the country.
Now the same party has left all others behind by announcing freebies of the highest order, perplexing its workers in the poll bound Delhi because they have to face the voters and chances are there that this move might boomerang as the region appears to be the stronghold of AAP.
Reportedly, BJP has also promised Rs 500 subsidy on LPG cylinders besides free cylinders on Holi and Diwali. The BJP’s manifesto highlights the irony in politics because those who previously opposed the idea of giving freebies to the public are now offering the same to garner votes. The shift in stance by those who once opposed freebies reflects the political compulsion because they must have felt that without this, the scope of winning the polls in Delhi will be very less.
This shift in approach raises questions about the consistency and integrity of political leadership in the country. It reflects a strategic, opportunistic move, undermining earlier sermons by PM Modi against populism and casting doubt on the sincerity of his previous rhetoric. Such actions not only dilute political credibility but also expose the hypocrisy in the promises made by leaders when seeking electoral advantage.
