In the run-up to every election in India, political parties roll out a dazzling menu of promises like free electricity, free bus rides, cash transfers, laptops, gold chains, and even pressure cookers. These ‘freebies’ have become the heartbeat of campaign speeches, turning elections into auctions of public money. What starts as a vote-catching tactic ends up as a heavy burden on the nation’s finances. As the Supreme Court sharply observed in February 2026, this culture of indiscriminate giveaways is not just fiscally reckless, it is quietly reshaping India’s work ethic, development priorities, and long-term economic health.

While welfare for the truly needy is essential, the competitive race to offer more and more for free risks turning citizens into passive recipients rather than active participants in nation-building. The roots of freebie politics run deep. It began in Tamil Nadu in the 1950s when Chief Minister K. Kamaraj introduced free midday meals and education in schools to boost enrolment. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) later turned it into an art form in the 1960s and 1970s, promising colour televisions, mixers and grinders. Other southern states followed and soon the trend spread nationwide. Today, almost every major party, whether in power at the Centre or in states, includes a long list of free schemes in its manifesto.

What was once limited to basic necessities has ballooned into expensive, open-ended commitments like free power for all, loan waivers and direct cash to women voters. The line between genuine welfare and electoral bribery has blurred dangerously. This is not unique to India, but the scale and consequences differ sharply from other countries. Developed nations like those in Scandinavia run robust welfare states with universal healthcare, free education and generous unemployment support. Yet those systems rest on high taxes, strong productivity and transparent fiscal discipline. Their ‘freebies’ are not last-minute poll promises but carefully budgeted, outcomelinked policies. In contrast, many developing countries that tried similar giveaway models, think Venezuela or parts of Latin America, faced debt crises, hyperinflation and collapsed public services.

India’s version sits somewhere in between: it provides short-term relief to millions but does so by borrowing heavily, often without proper targeting or sunset clauses. The result is a slow bleed on public resources........

© The Statesman