Every election season, politicians promise “free money” to uplift the poor, empower women, and build a welfare state. The reality on the ground? A cruel joke.
Take this example: my maid receives monthly money under the Ladli Behna scheme, meant to empower women. But guess what? Her husband takes every rupee and spends it on alcohol. The family sees nothing. The woman sees nothing. The child sees nothing. Only the liquor shop profits.
This is not an exception. This is the rule. And it exposes the bitter truth: freebie schemes don’t empower the poor — they empower politicians to win elections.
1. From bank to Bottle
The money that enters poor households through schemes rarely lands in kitchens. It lands in liquor shops. Welfare turns into whiskey faster than you can say “empowerment.”
2. Women Targeted, But Men Pocketed
Schemes are announced in women’s names, but in reality, husbands, fathers, and brothers seize the cash. Empowerment evaporates into addiction.
3. The Illusion of Upliftment
Politicians parade these schemes as “uplifting the poor.” But the poor remain poor, children remain malnourished, and households remain broken — only politicians get richer in votes.
4. Economy Bleeds While Votes Multiply
Freebies don’t create jobs, don’t build industries, don’t improve productivity. They drain taxpayer money, fuel inflation, and cripple state finances — all while ensuring the ruling party secures the next election.
5. A Nation of Dependency, Not Dignity
Instead of teaching skills, creating opportunities, or enabling independence, freebies make citizens permanently dependent — addicted not just to alcohol, but to handouts.
6. Liquor Shops Laugh, Families Cry
The cruelest irony: liquor shops record booming profits every time freebie schemes are rolled out. women line up at ration shops, while men line up at bars.
7. Freebies Don’t Change Lives, They Exchange Votes
Let’s be blunt: these schemes are not social justice, they’re political bribes. Money for votes, wrapped in the language of welfare.
8. The Only Winners? Politicians
The poor remain trapped, the economy collapses under subsidies, and society weakens. But the politician smiles, waving from victory rallies, fueled not by progress, but by your tax money.
👉 Freebies don’t feed families. They don’t build futures. They only buy elections.
👉 Until india breaks free from this politics of dependency, we’ll keep feeding bottles, not bellies.
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