Make fair promises but dole out no freebies. That is what the model code of conduct for election demands from parties and governments. The fact is they find a way around that, exploiting the inherent loopholes and using technicalities as a shield. Kerala’s rice distribution scheme is one such instance. Though the scheme for making available 10 kg of rice at Rs 15 for the coming Vishu-Easter-Ramzan season was announced in the Budget, the distribution would happen closer to polls—a reason why the opposition raised the flag of foul play. The Election Commission, on its part, blocked the plan, only to be snubbed by the Kerala HC, which allowed the rice distribution to take place. Along with that, the distribution of food kits, a Covid-time programme that helped the LDF government bolster its welfare image and earn votes in the recent local body polls, will also go on. Besides, it is also distributing free rice and provision kits meant for schoolchildren enrolled in the midday meal programme after keeping the scheme pending for about eight months now. All in all, the Kerala voter can expect a bonanza before polls.
The row over freebies is something that has been playing out every election since 2011. If the outgoing V S Achuthanandan government announced Rs 2/kg rice just ahead of polls in 2011, the Oommen Chandy administration came up with the free rice scheme for BPL families in 2016. Both the schemes ran into opposition but were ultimately cleared based on technicalities. While the new festive season rice scheme will benefit around 50 lakh families, the Covid-time food kits will reach 88 lakh families and the mid-day meal about 26 lakh students. Besides, the government is planning to distribute social welfare pension for April in advance, along with the pension for March, to nearly 50 lakh beneficiaries. What this means is that a large portion of Kerala’s electorate will have fresh memories of the government’s “generosity” when they head to the polling booth on April 6. The EC or courts are helpless here as these aren’t exactly new announcements and hence beyond the scope of the election code. Though rules of propriety and fair play demand that the government should wait till the polls are over, it is obviously in a hurry. By going ahead with the distribution of freebies, the ruling LDF has handed itself an unfair electoral advantage.