Viewpoint: Parties play game of one-upmanship

With less than two weeks to go for Lok Sabha polls, the political atmosphere in the country is becoming hot. Parties try to play the game of one-upmanship with their manifestos, crowd mobilisation and money power. While politicos have perfected the ‘Tirumangalam formula’, voters also know to play their cards well.  

Special expert teams burn the midnight oil to prepare the manifestos  pregnant with several measures to woo voters. Both the ruling AIADMK and Opposition DMK released their manifestos on the same day (March 19) giving no room for any great expectations.  AIADMK promised national poverty eradication initiative to be named after late chief minister J. Jayalalithaa. It said it would also press for the release of seven convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. The party said a direct transfer of `1,500 per month to the targeted population of the poor and the deprived should not be difficult to implement.

 DMK, meanwhile, in its manifesto, said it would implement reservation in the private sector and promised to bring back the old pension scheme for both Central and state government staff. Yet another measure it proposed was to do away with the direct cash transfer of subsidy for the LPG and bring down the price of cylinders.   Both AIADMK and DMK said they would take steps to scrap Neet for medical admissions and work toward waiving off education loans of students.

PMK, which took the lead in releasing the manifesto on March 15, pitched for state autonomy, retrieving lost rights of TN besides making India strong.  

While Kamal Haasan is not contesting polls this time, he has promised to permanently solve the drinking water problem and eradicate poverty. The party, in the manifesto,  said it would work towards making the state  slum-free,  besides abolishing highway toll and create 50 lakh jobs.  

While BJP is yet to release its manifesto,  Congress has released its election document .  Even during last 2014 polls, the saffron party had released the manifesto only the day before phase 1 of polling.  Nyay or the minimum income guarantee promise of `72,000 per household was the focus of 55-page Congress manifesto. It also promised budget for farmers, filling up 24 lakh government vacancies, improved healthcare, free education and fixing a single moderate GST rate.

While campaign speeches and manifestos add spice to poll season, it is money power which chokes our democracy. Last week, the Madras high court voiced serious concern over cash-for-vote concept being promoted by political parties and sought the non-corrupt minority to fight it.

Income tax sleuths have been seizing huge amounts of money, gold and other gifs stashed in vehicles and buildings of partymen allegedly meant for distribution to voters.

Though EC is determined to rein in cash-for-votes, parties, as reported in the media, are unabashedly pumping in money to bribe voters.   Will voters sell their votes in exchange for cash or gifts and leave world’s largest democratic exercise in a shambles? That is a ‘million dollar’ question.