A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) parliamentarian Varun Gandhi has slammed political parties that promise the electorate free public amenities, saying such pledges result in an entitlement mindset among the people of the particular state.
"Making such promises is an insult to voters, when many such promises are simply left unfulfilled or partially so," Varun Gandhi, told reporters on Wednesday.
"All political parties offer freebies now and through it an entitlement mentality has been encouraged, creating a cradle-to-grave welfare state," he added.
Why is BJP Raising Alarm Over 'Freebies'?
Gandhi's criticism of the "freebie" culture in Indian politics came at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself has voiced concerns on the issue, blaming India's opposition parties for putting an enormous amount of debt burden on the exchequer.
In December, while campaigning for BJP candidates in Gujarat, Modi blasted the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for seeking votes in the name of freebies.
"Today in our country, attempts are being made to collect votes by distributing free revdis (freebies). This revdi culture is very dangerous for the development of the country. People of the country, especially the youth, need to be careful of this revdi culture. People of revdi culture will not build expressways, airports or defense corridors for you," Modi said at the time.
Kejriwal, the AAP chief, had previously announced that if his party won the Gujarat state assembly elections, his party would offer 300 units of electricity for free every month to residents.
People of Delhi already enjoy such benefits like free water and electricity up to certain units.
Eventually, Kejriwal and his party's promises didn't bore fruit in the polls as the BJP swept the state, winning an unprecedented 156 seats in the 182-member Gujarat legislature, with AAP way behind with victories in just five constituencies.
Eventually, Kejriwal and his party's promises didn't bore fruit in the polls as the BJP swept the state, winning an unprecedented 156 seats in the 182-member Gujarat legislature, with AAP way behind with victories in just five constituencies.