Frowning upon the culture of political parties announcing freebies ahead of elections, the Supreme Court said it would be better to integrate people into the mainstream so they could contribute to building the nation. The Supreme Court, which was hearing a plea seeking shelter for the homeless in Delhi, said people were not willing to work due to the lure of cash transfer schemes like Ladki Bahin and free rations.
“Rather than permitting them to be a part of the mainstream society by contributing to the development of the nation, are we not creating a class of parasites?” said a bench of Justices BR Gavai and Augustine George Masih.
The top court cited cash handout schemes for women like Ladki Bahin, which was one of the key drivers of the BJP-led alliance’s thumping win in Maharashtra, to buttress its point.
“Unfortunately, because of these freebies which, just on the anvil when elections are declared, Ladli Behen and some other schemes… the people are not willing to work. They are getting free rations, amounts without doing any work,” the court said.
The top court’s strong observation comes at a time when political parties go all out to woo voters by promising freebies like free electricity and water with little concern for state finances. A set of petitions seeking to curb the culture of freebies is pending with the top court
