Amid the raging debate over the ‘freebies culture’ across the country, Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan on Wednesday, August 17, took potshots at the Union government over its stance on the issue and asked the basis on which the state governments should change their welfare policy.
The Finance Minister, popularly known as PTR, was speaking in a news debate on the channel India Today when he made the remarks. The host, journalist Rahul Kanwal, asked the minister his views on the ‘freebies culture’, which he claimed the BJP was trying to counter. In response, PTR addressed the Union government and said, “Either you must have a constitutional basis to say what you are saying, in which case we all listen, or you must have some special expertise, you must be a double PhD in Economics, or you must have a Nobel Prize or something that tells us that you know better than us. Or, you must have a performance track record that shows that you have grown the economy wonderfully, that you have brought down the debt, increased the per capita income or created jobs.”
“When neither of these is true, why should we listen to somebody’s view? What makes that the gold standard?” the Finance Minister asked.
PTR said that the election has given him the right to do what he is supposed to do. “My Chief Minister gave me a job to do and I’m doing it well. I’m outperforming the Union Government by a lot. I guarantee I’ll continue to do that for the next three years,” he added. He also said that Tamil Nadu is a huge net contributor to the Union government exchequer.
Reiterating his point, PTR asked, “Do you have a constitutional basis? No. Are you a financial expert? No. Do you have a Nobel prize? No. Have you performed better than us? No. On what basis should I change my policy for you, is this some extra-constitutional diktat that is coming from heaven?”
So..I went on a show @IndiaToday unexpectedly yesterday, and answered 3 questions in a row...of which one seems to be a bit popular today. Here are all 3 questions and answers, for full context
— Dr P Thiaga Rajan (PTR) (@ptrmadurai) August 18, 2022
ஒட்டுமொத்த சூழலுக்கான 3 கேள்விகள் மற்றும் விடைகள் இங்கே உள்ளது
English w/ Tamil CC pic.twitter.com/FdaLRmCO1U
The ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu has taken strong offence to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks regarding ‘revadi culture’ of offering freebies for garnering votes. The party has moved the Supreme Court, contending that freebies and welfare measures cannot be painted with the same brush. The plea also said that there is no straitjacket formula that can decide what scheme can be considered a freebie and added that the Constitution empowers state governments to promulgate welfare schemes.
Last month, Prime Minister Modi, at an event in Uttar Pradesh, cautioned people against what he called the "revdi culture" of offering freebies for garnering votes and said it is "very dangerous" for the development of the country.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Wednesday said that political parties and individuals cannot be prevented from making poll promises aimed at fulfilling the constitutional mandate and the term freebie should not be confused with genuine welfare measures. "We cannot prevent political parties from making promises. The question is what constitutes the right promises! Can we describe the promise of free education as a freebie? Can free drinking water, minimum essential units of powers etc. be described as freebies? Can consumer products and free electronics, described as welfare? The concern right now is what is the right way of spending public money. Some people say money is wasted, some say it is welfare. The issues are getting increasingly complicated,” the bench observed.
Observing that the voters are not looking for freebies, the top court referred to the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and said, “Given an opportunity, they will look for dignified earning. We all must remember the good old saying: ‘There is no free lunch,” the apex court said, adding that the concern is about the right way of spending public money.
It said that the issue of regulating freebies is getting increasingly complicated and asked all the stakeholders to give their suggestions on the proposed panel while fixing the PIL for hearing on August 22.
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.
On August 3, a bench led by the Chief Justice of India, saying that the issue of "freebies" was a serious one, and observed that an expert body should be constituted to examine the matter. The bench suggested that the expert panel could comprise representatives of the Union and state governments, opposition political parties, Election Commission of India, Finance Commission, Reserve Bank of India, NITI Aayog, etc.
Also Read:
With PTI inputs