After the AAP government declared that it intends to make bus and metro ride free for women in Delhi, media and social media has been awash with debates on opinions over the freebie culture and whether the plan is just another of AAP’s dozens of other promises which they never keep.
While a certain section of Delhi elites and AAP supporters were seen hailing the move, there was also a debate on whether the freebie culture is just another way to divert the public attention from the glaring issues of safety, overcrowding and lack of other basic necessities.
Arnab Goswami of Republic slammed the ‘Freebie’ culture and stated that there is a section of Lutyens Delhi elites who have lived on freebies all their lives and they are the people who hail and celebrate this freebie culture.
VIRAL: Arnab questions the ‘freebie culture’ on the #AAPFreeTicket Debate pic.twitter.com/RNWYn4bWC5
— Republic (@republic) June 3, 2019
Arnab slammed the comment “It is an era of freebies” and stated that India has stated through votes that it is an era of aspirations, ambition, merit and not freebies. He stated that a group of people, who have no connection with ground realities say ‘It is an era of freebies’ when India has already rejected the idea of freebies.
Arnab stated that there is a media house which obtained acres and acres of free land in Uttar Pradesh before the last assembly elections in the state. He added that there are journalists who have got free lands, free flats in Noida, Greater Noida and Gurgaon are objecting when Republic TV raises questions over free metro rides.
Arnab also emphasized some ‘UnPrintable’ facts where a certain journalist had obtained lands in Chhatarpur to build large farmhouses in the name of NGOs. He added that there are journalists who had obtained cars from private companies during the 2g case. They have been living their lives on freebies, from flight tickets to holidays and now they have concluded that there is a freebie culture in the country.
Arnab asserted that the country and its people have now started to reject freebies. he said that a storm has come over the country and the public now wants their problems of sewage, drinking water, illegal settlements, overcrowded facilities solved, they do not want freebies.
#AgustaCaseCracked | 3 journalists named in the ED chargesheet accessed by Republic TV, here’s Arnab Goswami’s message for them pic.twitter.com/u9dJFKQnK3
— Republic (@republic) April 4, 2019
Arnab has been bringing the issue of certain Lutyens journalists getting undue favours from previous governments. He had also used wordplay around ‘Print’ earlier. Earlier this year, Arnab had, at an event, talked about the many media bigwigs owning farmhouses in Chhatarpur that have been ‘gifted’ by previous governments and being used to run money-spinning NGOs.
