TN parties ready to roll out freebies despite state’s huge revenue deficit

Chennai, March 4 : Colour television sets, mixers, grinders, mobile telephones, clothes are some of the freebies rolled out by political parties in Tamil Nadu and has always included these freebies in their election manifestos.
The state of Tamil Nadu is facing a huge deficit with the revenue deficit at 65,994 crores despite being a revenue surplus state a few years ago. The state’s total debt by March 2022 will be around 5.70 lakh crore, a whopping sum by any measures.
Despite all these hiccups and states fortunes nose diving the political parties are on a freebie culture with one party overtaking the other in promising the people with gifts and other freebies.
DMK commenced the freebie culture in 1967 with the then Chief minister and the towering leader of Dravidian politics, CN Annadurai promising 3 measures of rice for Rupees 1. This had a huge impact and DMK romped home for the first time in Tamil Nadu unseating the Congress government led by Bhakthavalsalam. In 2006 DMK supremo, Muthuvel Karunanidhi announced a highly populist scheme of free colour televisions, I kg of rice at 2 rupees, free gas connection and free gas stoves for all women in Tamil Nadu. The DMK won the election easily.
Spokesman of the DMK, Saravanan Annadurai while speaking to IANS said: “These are not freebies but populist schemes and in 2006 when we provided free gas stoves and subsidized gas cylinders it was a revolutionary decision to provide women solace from spending long hours in kitchen and now the Prime minister Narendra Modi has replicated the same move after so many years”.
There are divided opinions on the governments dolling out such schemes to the people.