
"These are not freebies but the basic right that we rightfully deserve," said one of the students at the University of Delhi (DU) when asked if this battle of freebies is attractive enough for the students to come out and vote on February 5.
In the past few weeks, all three political parties have been actively targeting the Delhi youth by announcing several freebies concerning students, stated a report by The New Indian Express.
While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announced free education from kindergarten (KG) to postgraduate (PG), the Indian National Congress announced Rs 8,500 under the Yuva Udan Yojana, and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) announced financial assistance to children from the Dalit community for pursuing higher education abroad and 50% concession in metro.
However the students studying in Delhi colleges have a different point of view when it comes to issues and the actual demands.
One of the students of St Stephen's College, DU Rishita, said, "Announcing freebies should be against the morality of politics, but unfortunately, the political parties go on harping about it. I want to tell them they should rather address some real issues. Do they really know what we are facing under the New Education Policy (NEP). Seven subjects along with a practical which is really impractical. Go down on the streets and check how polluted the city is. The political parties should get into practical mode instead of false promises."
However, another student named Rehan, who will be voting for the first time in the Delhi Assembly Polls, said, "In a larger role, the freebies can play an undeniable role, but sometimes, it is bad economics, and it is like a game of chess. Giving one example of this 50% concession in metros, the parties need to decide who is their intended audience because I come to DU from nearby locality and I hardly spend Rs 30 daily in the metro so how will this 50% concession affect me?"
Most students disagreed with the word freebie saying that these are some things which they actually deserve as a citizen and such announcements should not be used as a political tool to lure at least the youth who are the future of this country.
Talking about the 'free bus ride for students' as proposed by AAP, a first year graduation student Zoha, said, "Being a woman or a student, if I am being given an option to take a free bus ride, I would not choose to do that because I know that there will some people in the bus to make the atmosphere unsafe for me. But I also think there is no harm in making announcements but they should ensure that they are implemented well."
Echoing a similar opinion, one of the presidential candidates for the DUSU election 2024, Savvy, shared how travel and accommodation are two major issues for several varsity students. "We as students have to bear the brunt and in this case, going out to vote is the only solution," she added.