महाराष्ट्र में 20 नवंबर को विधानसभा चुनाव के लिए वोटिंग होनी है, इसे लेकर प्रधानमंत्री नरेंद्र मोदी ने गुरुवार को मुंबई के दादर स्थित शिवाजी पार्क मैदान में रैली की, लेकिन इस रैली में डिप्टी सीएम अजित पवार और उनकी पार्टी के अन्य वरिष्ठ नेताओं ने हिस्सा नहीं लिया. साथ ही NCP उम्मीदवार सना मलिक, नवाब मलिक और जीशान सिद्दीकी भी महायुति गठबंधन की रैली में शामिल नहीं हुए. जबकि शिवसेना (शिंदे गुट) और रामदास अठावले की अगुवाई वाली आरपीआई समेत महायुति के सभी उम्मीदवार रैली के दौरान मंच पर मौजूद थे.

पीएम मोदी ने रैली के दौरान कहा कि महाविकास अघाड़ी के लोग तुष्टिकरण के गुलाम हो चुके हैं. ये वो अघाड़ी है, जो राम मंदिर का विरोध करते हैं. भगवा आतंकवाद शब्द गढ़ते हैं. कश्मीर में 370 की वापसी के लिए प्रस्ताव पारित करते हैं, आज महाराष्ट्र विधानसभा चुनाव की मेरी आख़िरी सभा है. हर क्षेत्र के लोगों से मेरा संवाद हुआ है. उन्होंने कहा कि पूरे महाराष्ट्र का आशीर्वाद आज महायुति के साथ है. 

‘सरकार बनाने के लिए कांग्रेस बिना पानी के मछली जैसी तड़प रही’

उन्होंने कहा कि महाविकास अघाड़ी वालों के लिए देश से ऊपर उनका दल है. जब भारत आगे बढ़ता है, तो अघाड़ी वालों को तक़लीफ होती है. ये लोग भारत की उपलब्धि पर सवाल उठाते हैं. अघाड़ी के लोग जाति के नाम पर लोगों को लड़ाने में लगे हैं. सरकार बनाने के लिए कांग्रेस बिना पानी के मछली जैसी तड़प रही है. 

‘एससी-एसटी की जातियों को लड़ाना चाहती है कांग्रेस’

पीएम ने कहा कि कांग्रेस एससी-एसटी की जातियों को आपस में लड़ाना चाहती है. मैं बार-बार कह रहा हूं कि जिस प्रकार से महाविकास अघाड़ी के लोग कारनामे कर रहे हैं, जिस प्रकार से ‘कांग्रेस के शहज़ादे’ तबाही की भाषा बोल रहे हैं, ऐसे में एक बात बहुत ज़रूरी हो गई है- ‘एक हैं तो सेफ हैं’.

महाविकास अघाड़ी पर साधा निशाना

पीएम मोदी ने कहा कि अघाड़ी में एक ऐसा दल है, जिसने बालासाहेब का अपमान करने वाले दल के हाथ में अपना रिमोट सौंप दिया है. हिम्मत है तो एक बार को ‘कांग्रेस के शहज़ादे’ के मुंह से निकलवाइए- हिंदू हृदय सम्राट बालासाहेब ठाकरे. उन्होंने कहा कि ‘आज देश में मोदी की सरकार है, आतंक के आकाओं को पता है, इन अघाड़ी वालों को पता हो या ना हो कि भारत के खिलाफ कुछ किया, मुंबई के खिलाफ कुछ भी किया तो पाताल में भी मोदी नहीं छोड़ेगा.’

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu announced that the state will become the “Drone Capital of India” during the Amaravati Drone Summit 2024, held in Mangalagiri. As part of his vision to make Andhra Pradesh a leader in drone technology, Naidu revealed plans to allocate 300 acres of land in Orvakal, Kurnool District, for a dedicated drone hub. This initiative aims to make Andhra Pradesh the top destination for drone manufacturing, innovation, and research.

In addition to developing the drone hub, Naidu also outlined an ambitious plan to train 35,000 drone pilots to meet the growing demand for skilled professionals in this industry. “Drones will play a crucial role in agriculture, healthcare, traffic management, and even disaster relief,” Naidu said, pointing to the use of drones during the recent floods in Vijayawada, where they delivered food and water to stranded people.

During the two-day summit, Naidu promised that within 15 days, the state government would release a comprehensive drone policy designed to attract drone manufacturers and create a business-friendly environment for innovators. This policy will make Andhra Pradesh a testing ground for drone applications, with successful pilot projects set to expand across the state and the country.

He assured that drones would be used extensively in police work for surveillance and monitoring, especially to keep an eye on criminal activities.

Reflecting on his role in driving India’s IT revolution in the 1990s, Naidu shared how his initiatives, such as launching Hyderabad’s HiTech City through a public-private partnership, helped establish the city as a major technology hub. He credited his collaboration with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for opening up India’s telecom sector, which paved the way for the country’s mobile technology boom. “Back then, we brought global tech giants like Microsoft to India, and now, we’re doing the same with drones,” Naidu said.

The Chief Minister praised the current leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stating, “India is on track to becoming the third-largest economy by 2047 under Modi’s leadership, and with initiatives like JAM (Jan Dhan, Aadhaar, Mobile) and Ayushman Bharat, we’ve strengthened the country’s digital and healthcare infrastructure.”

The survey asked its 10,314 respondents their views on a list of three statements related to free goods and services. Of them, 56% agreed they were unnecessary freebies, 78% agreed they were mainly aimed at getting votes, and 61% said they could hurt the country’s financial situation. The negative view was more common in north and central states, and among the older cohort (those born before 1981), those in Tier-I cities, and those with higher incomes.

This is along the lines of the findings to a similar question in the previous round of the survey held in December 2023, though with increased distaste for free goods and services.

The latest survey was the 12th in a biannual series conducted by Mint in association with survey partner YouGov India and Delhi-based think tank Centre for Policy Research. The respondents were spread across over 200 cities and towns. Conducted since 2018, the survey throws light on the beliefs, choices, and anxieties of India’s young urban population.

Respondents across party lines disliked freebies but supporters of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were more likely to find them unnecessary, a vote-seeking ploy, and hurtful to the country’s financial situation. As many as 64% of them said they were unnecessary freebies(higher than 59% in the previous round), against 49% among Congress supporters. Among supporters of the Aam Aadmi Party, whose policies in Delhi and Punjab have brought the focus on free services like electricity in recent years, 49% said the same. The Congress, too, has made cash transfers part of its electoral discourse.

(Around 46% of the respondents were BJP supporters, 15% supported Congress, and 3% AAP.)

India has always had subsidies on some goods and services, including food and fuel, since Independence. However, the debate over whether such moves are fiscally responsible was reignited by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in July 2022 when he attacked Opposition parties over the “revdi culture” and said it was “dangerous for the country’s development”.

The previous round of the survey found that BJP supporters, despite their general disapproval of subsidy policies, were highly supportive of those launched by BJP governments and distrusting of those of Congress governments. The vice versa was true for Congress supporters.

Also Read: In charts: Story of polls, freebies and politics

Class clash

Despite an overwhelming opinion against freebies, there was some disagreement over the merits of such policies across the rich-poor divide. A clear majority across both sides (70% of those who identified as poor; 88% of those who called themselves rich) agreed that freebies were aimed at votes, but the views diverged on the other two questions.

As opposed to 84% of self-identified ‘rich’ respondents, only 46% of the ‘poor’ said freebies were detrimental to the country’s financial situation. On the need of such promises, both the ‘poor’ and ‘lower middle class’ agreed far less than the rich.

The class identification is based on responses to a question on how participants rated the financial situation of their households (5% poor; 43% lower middle class; 45% upper middle class; 7% rich).

Also Read: India’s middle-class riddle: How much do you need to be called rich?

Public paradox

Even though freebies are disliked greatly, respondents did want some goods and services for free or at somewhat subsidized rates. High-income respondents expressed a stronger desire for subsidies or free giveaways.

Over 90% of the respondents think education, healthcare and agricultural products for farmers should be free or come at subsidized rates. When it comes to transport for women, electricity, gas cylinders and fuel, three in four respondents think they should be free or subsidized.

Those with higher incomes showed more inclination compared to the low-income group. Barring education and healthcare, for all other goods and services listed by the survey, those earning over ₹50,000 a month were likely to express the view that they should be free.

The divide is the highest for free petrol and diesel (17% of those earning above ₹50,000 compared to 10% of those earning below ₹50,000) and gas cylinders (21% and 15%, respectively). Free electricity and free transport for women, which have found popularity through several election seasons, also attract more high-income earners.

Also Read: Five more years of free foodgrains: The financial and welfare implications

All in all, the discourse about the alleged freebies culture is impacting views among urban voters, but the country’s overall approach to a welfare economy still finds resonance with a large share of the population. This nuance could shape how the debate on the topic evolves over the next few state elections.

This is the fourth part of a series about the findings of the 12th round of the survey. The previous two parts covered political attitudes. These surveys are skewed towards urban, well-to-do netizens, with 90% of respondents falling under the NCCS-A socio-economic category.

Part 1 (14 October): 2024 polls changed the electoral pitch — but only a little

Part 2 (15 October): Making sense of urban India’s political faultlines

Part 3 (21 October): India’s middle-class riddle: How much do you need to be called rich?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday that there is no scope for rest as his government works to make India’s dreams come true and fulfill its pledge.

“I meet many people who tell me, ‘India is now the fifth largest economy in the world, so many milestones have been achieved, reforms implemented, then why are you working so hard?,” Modi said addressing the NDTV World Summit.

“In the last 10 years, 12 crore toilets have been built, and 16 crore homes have gas connections… is this enough? My answer is no. This is not enough. Today India is among the youngest countries in the world. This youth potential can take us to the skies,” Modi said at the event.

Modi was sworn in as Prime Minister for the record third time along with 71 cabinet ministers in June this year. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won the Lok Sabha Elections 2024 held in February to April this year.

No rest, no relaxation: PM Modi

“The dreams we have seen, the pledge we have made, there is no rest, no relaxation,” Modi said at the summit.

“There’s a tradition that every government compares its work with that of the previous government. We used to walk this path too, but from now on we can’t compare the past and the present and be happy with it. The metric of success from now on would be ‘What we want to achieve’. India now has a forward-looking approach. The vision for a developed India by 2047 is a part of this mindset,” he said as per NDTV report.

The metric of success from now on would be ‘What we want to achieve’.

Modi said India emerged as a beacon of hope as the developments in the last five years had become a cause for global concern. These, he said, include the COVID-19 pandemic that resulted in the disruption of economies, price rise and unemployment, followed by wars in Ukraine and West Asia.

“In India, we are discussing the India Century. India is the ray of hope amid the global crisis. There are challenges in front of India but we feel a sense of positivity here,” Modi said.

WATCH | Saba Naqvi breaks down the Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir election results

Saba Naqvi discusses the electoral strategies adopted by various players, the saffron party’s electoral resurgence, and more.
| Video Credit:
Camera: Dipesh Arora; Editing: Samson Ronald K.; Produced By: Jinoy Jose P. 

Last week, Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir wrapped up their Assembly elections. The BJP surprised everyone with a hat-trick victory in Haryana, while Kashmir made a statement on issues such as statehood by voting the INDIA bloc to power. Veteran journalist Saba Naqvi digs into the results for Frontline, spotlighting how the BJP, Congress, and local parties fared.

In this video, Naqvi unpacks the game plans each party used to woo voters. She sheds light on how caste still sways ballots and how parties juggle different social groups to win. Naqvi also tracks how these regions’ political sentiments are shifting. She zeroes in on the BJP’s hat-trick in Haryana and how the National Conference (NC)-Congress team scored in Kashmir but stumbled in Jammu. Naqvi ponders what these outcomes mean for the BJP’s standing across India. She also probes how Hindu nationalism continues to power the BJP’s moves in the Hindi belt.

Saba Naqvi is a Delhi based journalist and author of four books who writes on politics and identity issues.