Freebies can no longer get votes: Bangaru Laxman

Madurai, Mar 29: Accusing the Dravidian parties of not concentrating on improving agriculture sector and providing basic amenities such as roads in rural areas during the last 44 years of their rule, Senior BJP leader Bangaru Laxman today said freebies would not help them to win the April 13 Assembly elections.

With a lot of change in the psychology of the people, freebies would not help parties to capture power. The economic policies of the government had increased the per centage of below poverty line (BPL) people from 28 per cent to 37 per cent, he told reporters here.

"When more and more people become poorer, how can the ruling party imagine wildly that it would be elected to power again ?" he asked.

Addressing a public meeting, he said the prices of various commodities had increased due to flow of "corruption money".

DMK and Congress together had set "a world record in corruption through the 2G scam."

Instead of improving power generation, providing jobs, starting more industries, the Dravidian parties were burdening the government which already had a debt to the tune of Rs.One lakh crore.

The DMK should think in terms of achieving development like Punjab and Gujarat, the former BJP President said.

Preciting a hung asssembly in the polls, he said BJP, which is contesting all the 234 seats, would be able to win in sufficient number of seats and make its presence felt in the next assembly.

BJP's fight for educational assistance for economically poor people had won the hearts of the people, he said.

PTI