'Some Leaders Make Promises Yet Aren't Elected': On Freebies, SC Points to Schemes for 'Dignity of Living'
By: News Desk
Last Updated: August 17, 2022, 12:16 IST
Delhi, India
The Supreme Court of India. (News18/File Photo)
The top on Wednesday heard the PIL related to 'freebies' and said it has to be defined what freebie is, adding that there are schemes like Centre's MNREGA that give dignity of living
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The Supreme Court on Wednesday heard the plea related to the 'freebies' case and said it has to be defined what freebie is, adding that there are schemes like Centre's MNREGA that give dignity of living.
The top court was hearing a PIL filed by lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay, which opposes the practice of political parties promising freebies during elections and seeks the Election Commission to invoke its powers to freeze their election symbols and cancel their registration.
"There are schemes like MNREGA [Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act] which gives dignity of living. I don't think promises alone are not the basis of parties being elected solely. some makes promises and even then they are not elected," said CJI N V Ramana who is heading the bench hearing the case.
Earlier this month, Centre told the Supreme Court that distribution of freebies inevitably leads to "future economic disaster".
Hearing the PIL on Wednesday, CJI Ramana said, state political parties cannot be prevented from making promises to the electorate and added that it has to now be defined what is freebie. "Is universal healthcare, access to drinking water, access to consumer electronics can be treated as freebie?" CJI Ramana said.
The bench headed by Chief Justice NV Ramana had sought suggestions from all the stakeholders on the issue of setting up the panel to discuss and suggest measures on irrational freebies.
Meanwhile, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) had approached the Supreme Court in support of freebies, opposing the petition filed by former BJP spokesperson Ashwini Upadhyay.
Seeking intervention in the issue, the DMK, in its plea, argued that the scope of freebies is "very wide". "…the scope of a "freebie" is very wide and there are a lot of aspects which are to be considered. Only a welfare scheme introduced by a State Government cannot be judged to be classified as a freebie. The ruling government at the Union giving tax holidays to foreign companies, waiver of bad loans of influential industrialists, granting crucial contracts to favoured conglomerates etc. also have to be considered and cannot be left untouched," the DMK said, hitting out at the Centre.
It was further argued by the south India-based political party that a welfare scheme providing a free service is introduced with an intent to secure social order and economic justice to minimise the inequalities in income, status, facilities and opportunities and in no imaginable reality, it could be construed as a "freebie".
Arvind Kejriwal, whose party is known for providing free power and water in the states it rules, has also hit out at the Centre over the freebies row. Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao also on Monday tore into the ruling BJP, alleging it was "insulting" to dub welfare schemes as freebies.
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