Chennai: Manifestos of various political parties offer freebies ranging from gold to tablets with internet connections, besides waiver of farm and educational loans.
Populist announcements are more prominent in manifestos of major parties, AIADMK and DMK, while other parties seem to keep away from the ‘freebie’ political culture.
With the state witnessing a six-cornered contest, political parties have come out with identical announcements. This has led to accusation of parties copying the manifestos of others. The manifesto of DMK offers free tablets for students with internet connection and cellphones for poor.
Not to be outdone, the ruling AIADMK has offered to continue its free laptop scheme with addition of internet, free mobile phones to all family card holders, eight grams of gold for 'mangalsutra' and 50 per cent subsidy for women to buy scooters/mopeds. After facing public ire for the steep increase in power and milk prices, the ruling party offered to supply milk at '25 per litre and 100 units of electricity to all households free of cost.
The competitive freebie politics ends with major Dravidian parties, while other fronts - PMK, People's Welfare Alliance and BJP - kept away from such populist announcements. The high pitched “anti-liquor” protest that began last year, after the death of Gandhian Sasiperumal, reflected in all political party manifestos with the promise of total prohibition.
The AIADMK which dismissed any chance of enforcing prohibition earlier, was forced to make an announcement on phased implementation of liquor ban if voted to power again. All parties favoured prohibition and took the sting out of PMK's campaign which revolved round enforcing liquor ban.
The manifestos of all parties also emphasise a shift towards better governance with the offer of implementation of Right to Public Service Act, transparency, revival of agriculture and job creation. Next to prohibition, all parties seem to have reached a consensus on setting up Lokayukta.
The PWA has made a strong case for forming a coalition government and to root out corruption in administration while their senior ally DMDK promises to introduce social security schemes such as pension for farmers, senior citizens and fisherfolks.
The TMC came out with the promise of enacting a law to empower people to move court if parties fail to fulfil their poll promises. PMK, which declared it would not offer any freebies, promises to provide free education and healthcare worth Rs 1 lakh to each family and has assured to usher in all round development.
The BJP has stuck to its basic Hindutva ideology with its promise of
bringing in an anti-conversion law, cow protection and freeing temple administration from government. Naam Tamizhar Katchi proposes to form ‘Tamil Government’ which would protect every aspect of ancient Tamil culture.
