COUNTERING POPULIST POLITICS
There is no doubt that the populist politics can land the country into crises difficult to deal with, as was seen in many cases in the past. Political parties offering freebies to woo the electorate are doing real harm to the country because no one has the right to become spendthrift if he or she is in command of the public exchequer. In this context, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given an eloquent harangue pointing those who indulge in populist politics at the cost of the common man’s right to use the public funds in the form of development and services to be offered by the government either at centre or in the states. PM Modi has rightly said that short-cut politics based on populist measures can lead to short-circuit of the nation. There is no doubt that the government under the stewardship of PM Modi has launched development projects worth millions across the country, which no other government in the past has ever launched. Such a colossal development could not have become a reality had the Modi government also indulged in populist measures to galvanize the electorate. It is very easy to get votes from people by taking populist measures and adopting short-cut politics without thinking about far-reaching consequences, which could be devastating for the country’s economy. How true the statement is because there are political entities in the country which are using populist measures to lure voters but by adopting this kind of shortcut the genuine citizens are deprived of their rights, facilities and services. The political parties in the country should give a thought to this most vital issue as these parties are not the owner of public exchequer rather those leading governments are the caretakers of the public funds and therefore the responsibility to spend the aforesaid funds in extremely responsible manner lies on the shoulders and any kind of delinquency is uncalled for and unwarranted. The people should also act maturely and support the political parties which are more loyal to the nation rather than the voters for short term benefits as the ultimate goal of one and all in the country should be to steer India to new heights of peace, progress and prosperity.