NaMo Smriti to Roti-Kapda-Makaan with Aaatma Sanman

There is absolutely no harm in trying to uplift the poor and help them get out of poverty. The freebies should be devised with a time-bound, purpose-driven approach. Be it the BJP, the Congress or any other party must also remember that the freebies cannot be a lasting affair

Based on the current election results, I would like to tell my Opposition colleagues that they have a golden opportunity. Instead of planning to vent frustration over defeat (in assembly elections) in this session, if they learn from this defeat, shun the idea of negativity that has been prevalent for the past nine years, and move forward with positivity in this session, the country's perspective towards them will change.

– Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Parliament House on December 4, 2023.

Enough has been written and said about the results of the elections to the five legislative assemblies. Considering the ‘expert opinions’ flowing from all quarters, I guess, by this time even the initially shocked losers would have realised as to what went wrong.

The election heat and dust might have settled down, though temporarily, but the political bitterness is bound to last long and even get intensified as we approach the general elections 2024. We have earlier discussed the fall of standard of speeches – from Moorkhon ka Sardar to Panauti – during the poll campaign and how our leaders losing restraint and how the galleries cheer. It is not only the speakers’ standards that have fallen, but even that of the listeners. And what to say of the media reporting these without asking relevant questions. The Godi media picks up what it suits it and the opposition sympathisers among the media friends also report and comment on elaborately to bash the pro-Modi coverage. Political wars have led to the polarisation of media into pro and anti-Modi/BJP camps. The independent media can thus be counted on fingertips. This has never happened in the history of Indian media since 1780 when the first Indian newspaper Bengal Gazette edited by James Hickey was launched. More on this at a later stage.

Getting back to my favourite subject POLIRICKS, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has been vehemently opposing Rahul Gandhi’s idea of caste-based census to determine the status of the backwardness, has come put with his version of castes – the poor, the women, the farmers and the youth. BJP sees it as a master stroke to counter the Manu Smriti which the architect of the Constitution of India Dr B R Amedkar strongly opposed. Manu Smriti divides the social classes - Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras, in that descending order of status and privilege, were assigned, based on birth, duties and obligations which were fixed for life, watertight, immutable, according an opinion piece by Justice P B Sawant on The Wire.

Modi has accused Rahul and the opposition of trying to divide the society based on caste when the BJP government is committed to take a united country on the path of Amrit Kal to emerge as an economic super power by 2047. So, Modi coined the new caste definition and popularised it during the recent poll rallies.

Arguments can be put forward for and against both Modi and Rahul. But the crux of the matter is a whopping 60 per cent of Indian population is so poor that they will have to be given free rations for another five years at a cost of Rs 12 lakh crores to the exchequer. The population that will benefit from this and the Antyodaya scheme runs into 81 crore. It was 80 crore when Nirmala Sitharaman made her Budget speech on February 1, 2023 and has shot up by a crore when Minister Anurag Thakur announced the Cabinet decision to extend the scheme. One key point to member here is that the number of poor people increased by one crore when the PM himself says the government’s policies have led to 13 crore people getting out of the poverty line.

And the same Prime Minister Modi told PTI in an exclusive interview that the freebies are bad for the economy. Modi has also opposed what he described the freebies as Revdies. The freebies are going to burden the honest tax paper who can bear it for some in the interest of the larger section of the society. But not when the nation building activity gets hampered. Remember, the government says each tax payer is a nation builder.

The non-BJP parties too believe in freebies as a vote bank mechanism. Just look at what they promised in MP, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Telangana and earlier in Karnataka.

There is absolutely no harm in trying to uplift the poor and help them get out of poverty. The freebies should be devised with a time-bound, purpose-driven approach. Be it the BJP, the Congress or any other party must also remember that the freebies cannot be a lasting affair. They should not be limited to meet the political parties’ narrow ends of gaining power and announce more freebies just before the next elections. While the government would like to give everything free, it should also take into consideration the self-respect of the taker. Moreover, you are not exactly doing a nation building activity by giving free rations, phones and other things free forever.

I know unless we have an alternative solution, the for- and against-narrative on freebies is just going to be an endless debate.

Here is by two-bit solution. Let us take into account Modi’s as well as Rahul’s definition of the poor, backward classes and castes. Add senior citizens and children to the basket. Let’s look at an inclusive approach that both the BJP and the rest of the parties are committed to. Even Mamata Bannerjee talks of inclusive federalism.

It all begins with the investment, investment and investment by both the government and the private sector. Invest in education, health, agriculture, employment generation beyond the four-year-long Agniveers, housing, construction, environmental protection and building a nation of self-respecting people. Look at increasing the spending power of the people in cities as well as villages by reducing taxes and playing the game of volumes.

Post-COVID, many of us have been forced to dip into our savings. The government too lost its precious resources as people’s savings diminished. This is not a happy situation to be in while tom-tomming about Amrit Kal.

Now, let me take you back to the beginning of this column – Modi’s quote. The responsibility of running a meaningful Parliament session also lies with the government as much as the opposition. We have seen many instances the ruling party benches losing temper at the slightest provocation and when the opposition raises issues that may embarrass the government. On the one hand, the BJP government says it is not afraid if discussion on any issue, while on the other its blood pressure shoots up when the likes of Rahul Gandhi or Mahua Moitra raise some inconvenient questions.

In this context, let me add another point to Modi’s kitty of deliverables under his broad umbrella – Sab Ka Vikas & Sab Ka Saath with Sab Ka Samyam. It is tolerance! Unfortunately, today intolerance flows from the top. You cannot call someone a stupid and expect him not to hit back.

Discipline makes an individual, his family, the society and the nation great. You cannot build a great nation of global repute with leaders setting up an example of undisciplined behaviour using filthy language in public.

Let me repeat what I asked earlier: will our politicians like to see their families, children using the abusive language at home? Introspect and decide.

(The columnist is a Mumbai-based author and independent media veteran, running websites and a youtube channel known for his thought-provoking messaging.)