The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is opposed to freebies per se, its general secretary and national spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad, told a press conference here on Saturday.
He was here to canvass votes for party candidates. Asked about the competitive populism of the two major Dravidian parties, he pointed out that in BJP-ruled Jharkhand rice was supplied at Rs.2 per kg to the poor. While such schemes were welcome he was opposed to distribution of items such as colour television sets, mixies, and grinders.
When told that Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee had stated the financial position of the Tamil Nadu government was sound, Mr. Prasad wondered how such an experienced Finance Minister could say so. “He should speak the truth.”
Mr. Prasad sought a White Paper on the State's economy after the elections. Lamenting that Tamil Nadu, once a frontline State, was now known for the wrong reasons, he said that corruption had become a major issue. “While the Congress has forgotten the legacy of C. Rajagopalachari and K. Kamaraj, the DMK has forgotten the integrity of C.N. Annadurai.”
Mr. Prasad was happy to note that the government had agreed to the demands of anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare. “When we were in power, we tried to introduce the Lokpal Bill in 1999 and 2002. But, we did not have the majority in the Rajya Sabha and hence could not pass it.” The swelling support was a manifestation of the “frustration of the people,” and “it is a great message to the people of the country.”
He said the BJP was for bringing both politicians and the bureaucracy under the ambit of the Bill. Explaining how stringent the proposed punishment could be, he pointed out that some States had framed laws that ill-gotten wealth of the corrupt could be confiscated. “Even this can be replicated. But, what is most important is time-bound action” [against the corrupt] and “that is the bottom line.”
