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Make in India does not mean vote for Modi

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Kamal Mitra Chenoy
Kamal Mitra ChenoyOct 16, 2015 | 20:07

Make in India does not mean vote for Modi

In a country of limited resources, electoral gifts are a scandal. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, much like the Tamil Nadu politicians who resorted to virtually bribing the electorate with clothes, kitchen goods like grinders/mixies, has decided to bribe the electorate. Among other things, he has promised scooties, along with two years worth of petrol, to all Dalit women in Bihar, where polls are underway.

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The Bihar landless are being given five decimals of land each. These, and other handouts, will cost thousands of crores of rupees, at the cost of the public exchequer, when there are insufficient funds for repairing flood damage in Kashmir, or aiding resettlement and rebuilding in Nepal, not to speak of the grossly insufficient funds for MGNREGA which the BJP never liked in the first place.

In any case, resources for Bihar should be earmarked for specific development and poverty alleviation projects. "Make in India" does not mean "vote for Modi".

From the last phase of the Congress to the NDA being voted in power, the promised 100 days work for a two adults family has diminished to only 44 days a year.

Vasundhara Raje Scindia, BJP CM of Rajasthan, had wanted NREGA reduced to a mere scheme. Modi himself tried to force the NDA version of the land acquisition Bill through, overriding the Congress' version, which laid a policy of "social assessment" of the cost benefits of any proposed land acquisition, including a 60 per cent to 80 per cent support from the peasants for the land acquisition, depending on the quality of land and the needs of the peasantry.

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Despite all its efforts, the NDA version could not clear Parliament. So now Modi is promising five decimals of land to the Bihar landless peasantry. He, of course, is banking on the fact that his stance on land acquisition will be forgotten.

There has been a 17 per cent shortage in monsoon rain, despite finance minister Arun Jaitley's dismissal of the MET forecast. Of course, the BJP knows best, even on technical issues for which they have no training. While Modi is putting his best foot forward in Bihar, his CMs who have already been elected, are preaching communal politics.

Haryana chief minister ML Khattar had warned that Muslims who eat beef would be no longer welcome in Haryana. Despite this, the Goa BJP has continued with the legalisation of beef eating.

When elections come, will communal campaigning be allowed? It is high time the Election Commission is empowered to severely curb flagrant giveaways at the cost of the national exchequer. Schemes, subsidies etc are welcome outside the election period. But politicians bribing voters is a perversion of electoral democracy.

Last updated: October 16, 2015 | 20:11
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