Arvind Kejriwal, Nirmala Sitharaman spar over debt write-off, tax cut, freebies

NEW DELHI: With the matter of freebies under intense Supreme Court scrutiny, the AAP and the BJP were on Thursday locked in a high decibel sparring match over debt write-off and welfare schemes like education and health care.

Delhi Chief Minister launched a full scale attack on the Centre alleging taxpayers’ money was being used by politicians to write off loans for their rich friends. “Had these people not waived off loans worth Rs 10 lakh crore for their friends, the Centre wouldn’t have had to impose tax on milk-curd or stop pensions for soldiers. They also wrote off taxes worth Rs 5 lakh crore for big corporations. These people spend all public money on their friends, we give it to the underprivileged,” he alleged. 

“Free education, medicines and ration was being given for the last 70-75 years in the country. Then why has the protest started suddenly now?” he wondered. 

Hours later, finance minister Nirmala Sithraman rapped Kejriwal for giving the issue a perverse twist. “Health and education have never been called freebies. No Indian government has ever denied them. So by classifying education and health as freebies, Kerjiwal is trying to bring in a sense of worry and fear in the minds of the poor. There should be a genuine debate on this matter,” Sitharaman said.

Government sources also alleged that Kejriwal was deliberately framing the argument in a wrong way. “It is wrong to classify loan write-offs as freebies, or to say the corporate tax rate cut was designed to benefit big firms. There is no justification for parties offering freebies that the exchequer cannot afford.” 

SC: Need to strike balance between welfare, freebies 
Holding that freebies and welfare schemes are two different things, the Supreme Court on Thursday said a balance has to be struck between the economy losing money and necessary welfare measures. It also ruled out the possibility of considering a plea for de-recognising parties that promise freebies.