Khushi Bajpai
Published on: 19 August, 2022 at 19:27 IST
After the Aam Aadmi Party and the Indian National Congress, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) is the latest party to approach the Supreme Court on the “freebies during election manifesto” issue, saying that the “welfare schemes intend to ensure social and economic justice and thus, can’t be termed as “freebies”.
The application moved by the DMK seeking to implead itself in the PIL filed by former BJP Spokesperson Ashwini Upadhyaya stated:
“It is humbly submitted that a welfare scheme providing a free service are introduced with the intent to secure social order and economic justice under article 38 to minimise the inequalities in income, status, facilities, and opportunities. In no imaginable reality could it be constructed as a “freebie”. Such schemes have been introduced in order to provide basic necessities that poor households cannot afford. They cannot be imputed to be luxuries. “
The ECI took a stand for itself before the court, and clarified that it is not within its mandate to regulate any policies that a party might adopt after getting elected as the ruling party.
The central government, through the Solicitor General of India, told the court that the freebies distort the informed decision-making of the voters and can lead to economic disaster.