OPINION: Why are you so against the welfare schemes for the poor, PM Modi Ji?

Of late, Prime Minister Narendra Modiji has been talking about freebie culture whenever he gets an opportunity. It is very surprising to hear his words. The BJP government at the Centre has completely ignored the welfare of the people during its eight-year rule and burdened the life of the common man. The Modi Government has now started the debate on freebies to make the lives of common man more miserable.

The Modi government is imposing GST on essential items like milk and curd. The ever increasing inflation has broken the back of the poor. During eight years of Modi's rule, poverty in the country has increased so much that now we are infamous for having more poor people than that of Nigeria.

India now ranks at 101st place among 116 countries in the Global Hunger Index - which is a matter of national shame. The statistics released by the Centre make it clear that 35.5% of the children born in the country are malnourished.

The 14 Prime Ministers before Modi together were responsible for the country's debt of Rs. 56 lakh crores whereas Modi's govt alone borrowed more than Rs 80 lakh crores. Recently, the CAG issued a severe warning that 37% of the country's annual income is being spent on paying interest for the money borrowed by the Modi government. According to the FRBM Act, the central government should not borrow more than 40 percent of the GDP, but the Modi government has already incurred 54 percent of its debt, the CAG reported. The CAG has warned that if the situation continues like this, there is a risk of 'collapse of the country's economy.'

What did Modi do with the huge sums of money that he had borrowed has no satisfactory answer. He did not build a mega irrigation project with those loans, nor did he take up any other national level construction. They haven't even introduced a single welfare scheme to benefit the poor of the country. When nothing of this sort has been done, where did the lakhs of crores go? PM Modi is the right person to answer this question.

Central government brings lakhs of crores as debt, but does not do any useful work with it. At the same time, if the state governments come up with any schemes for the welfare of the poor, they are the ones who spew venom on the schemes labelling them freebies.

I would like to remind the Prime Minister that India is a "welfare state" as written in our Constitution. The Directive Principles in the Constitution of India assure the citizens that the Government shall always work for the welfare of the people providing them social justice.

According to the Directive Principles, the Government of India should provide equal livelihood to all its citizens without discrimination of gender, religion, caste,creed, or economical status. But, it is a bitter truth that in 75 years of independent India, our country is far behind in the implementation of these directive principles.

What exactly is a freebie in your opinion, Mr Modi?

Mr Modi, do you say that states should not provide schemes like free electricity, Rythu Bandhu, Rythu Bima which are being given to the farmers who have been exposed to nature's wrath for decades? Don't these initiatives provide succour to the distressed farming community? Anti farmer decisions of your government such as 'big cut in fertilisers subsidy' worries country's farmers. It is too much to expect the government that brought in the draconian anti-farmer laws to know the meaning of "farmer's welfare"

Mr. Modi, are you against giving one kg rice a rupee to the BC, SC, ST and minority communities who are the poorest in this country?

Mr. Modi, are you against providing free meals in schools to the poor and underprivileged children?

Mr Modi, are you against the establishment of gurukul schools and free food and accommodation for poor children?

Mr PM, do you consider the following schemes waste of money

♦ Arogya Laxmi, (providing nutritious food to pregnant and lactating women and children below the age of six through Anganwadi centres is a waste of money)

♦ Amma Odi - 102 Vehicles ( Providing transport facility for pregnant women before and after delivery)

♦ KCR Kit (Providing financial and medical assistance to women undergoing delivery of the child at any government hospital in the state)

Mr Modi, why do you dislike a noble mission such as Mission Bhageeratha which provides free drinking water to every house in the state besides ending the fluoride crisis.

Modji, your disdain for the textile sector, which provides employment to the largest number of people in the country after agriculture is very unfortunate. Why do you name our schemes like Netannaku Cheyutha, Nethannaku Beema, Bathukamma Sarees as freebie culture?

Mr Prime Minister, are you of the opinion that there is no need for the Dalit Bandhu scheme brought for the upliftment of the downtrodden that have been discriminated against for thousands of years?

Modiji, do you want to stop our schemes like Kalyana Lakshmi, Shadi Mubarak which are a blessing to the poor parents to perform the wedding of their daughters.

Modiji, isn't it cruel to cut subsidy on cooking gas? Have you realised that millions hit hard as cooking gas price soars in our country?

Modijj, yours is a cruel government that has charged migrant laborers train ticket fares during the pandemic to go to their respective hometowns. Yours is a cruel government that has refused railway concession for senior citizens.

Manya Modiji, You consider waiving the loan of the poor farmer a freebie. At the same time you proactively waive off loans of your corporate friends. Isn't it true that your government has given corporate tax concessions worth about Rs. three lakh crore in the last three years.

Honourable Prime Minister Modi ji please answer the following questions as honestly as possible:

♦ What is your policy on public welfare..

♦ During your eight year rule, what's the worth of the loans that have been waived off/written off for your crony capitalist friends? How many loans were waived off to the farmers of our country?

♦ Will you cancel all the welfare schemes currently being implemented in the states where your party is in power?

♦ What is the take of BJP party on the welfare schemes to farmers, the poor and the weaker sections.

♦ Will you go to the next polls announcing that all these free welfare schemes will be cancelled.

♦ Will there be a law or a constitutional amendment in the parliament to cancel all the welfare schemes that are being implemented by various states and the central government.

The country is celebrating its 75 years of Independence day. After hoisting the tricolour on the Red Fort, in your address to the nation, I hope you will make your stand clear on the schemes undertaken for the welfare of the poor.