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DNA Micro Edit: Unrealistic manifestos take voters for a ride

AAP shot the first freebie in the civic poll season. The big announcement was they will abolishing House Tax if elected to power in the MCD.

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As the contest between political parties ahead of municipal election has intensified, the electoral manifestos promise moon to people of Delhi selling achievable freebies. Electoral manifestos -- which play a crucial role in a party's vision -- now are simply 'proposals'. And interestingly, none of it will be implemented.

By colloquial definition, a manifesto is a written public declaration of the intentions, motives or views of the issuer, be it an individual, group or political party. When it comes of implementing the said declaration, the intention becomes personal, motives becomes power and views become blurred.

AAP shot the first freebie in the civic poll season. The big announcement was they will abolishing House Tax if elected to power in the MCD.

Interestingly, a similar promise was made by their current rival BJP, a decade back. But this time the BJP attacked AAP for it.

How could BJP lag behind. They too decided to sell AAP's dream of providing a plate of food for Rs. 10 during the Delhi Assembly election. While AAP could not live up to its own expectations, BJP has got a fancy for the idea for the civic polls.

Congress thought it is better not to sell freebies. The The Grand Old Party comes up with its old agenda -- development in unauthorized colonies.

But the most realistic and appealing comes from the newbie in the contest -- Swaraj India Party. It promises pollution free and environmentally friendly city.

But the voters know everything and each vote counts. They find no reason to believe in anything written in the manifestos released, because these promises are never fulfilled.

Every election season, the rain of the freebies begins. The real monsoon may fail but this monsoon never does. The people are suddenly swamped by a flood of promises. Suddenly, political parties of all ideologies remember the poor aam aadmi whose needs and aspirations must be met urgently. Whether it's women, youth, Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes or minorities, slum dwellers or residents of unauthorised colonies, they all become important. Their needs and desires are rediscovered. The promises are wide-ranging — free power and water, cheap foodgrain, televisions, washing machines, pressure cookers, farm loans, school uniforms and books and, to keep pace with the 21st century, laptops and smartphones.

The political parties need to wake up and make realistic manifestos as the citizens have started feeling that manifesto is nothing but an itemized recitation of lies designed for the sole purpose of attaining power.

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