PM not offering freebies, only public goods, says Annamalai

‘He is giving houses to people who do not have one, gas connections, water connections and bank accounts. These are public goods,’ says the TN BJP chief.

K. Annamalai

Tamil Nadu BJP president K. Annamalai on Monday said the things Prime Minister Narendra Modi was offering citizens were not freebies but public goods.

Speaking on the controversy over freebies, Mr. Annamalai said, “Things like health, education, water....education should be 100% free. That is the best model. Look at the U.K. and the U.S. Health is completely free under the NHS in the U.K.,” he said.

Mr. Annamalai said people were paying taxes for such amenities. “Prime Minister Modi is giving houses to people who do not have one, gas connections, water connections and bank accounts. These are public goods,” he said.

But the things many others were offering were different, he said. Mr. Annamalai said the Rajasthan Congress was promising free cell phones with free data. The DMK, too, had promised a lot without proper financial back-up, he claimed. “Prime Minister Modi did not give anything for free. These are the rights of citizens, and were given as a duty to citizens,” he said.

Mr. Annamalai said that while the DMK government had promised free bus rides for women, it was operating very few such services and women didn’t know when those buses would actually turn up.

Earlier, Arjuna Murthy, who left the BJP to join actor Rajinikanth when he was planning to launch a political outfit, and later formed his own party when the actor backtracked on his plans, rejoined the BJP.