Business Standard / New Delhi May 22, 2009, 00:54 IST
It is still not clear what turned the electorate the Congress’ way.
Many analysts have talked of the farm loans waivers, the NREGA and the petroleum subsidies. But the government spends a lot more in the form of pro-poor spending each year, so it does seem funny that voters will react only to the last year’s spending. Also, when the farm loans were given, the same analysts said only a small number of big farmers would benefit. And what happened to all those arguing that governments lose when there are job losses and when prices are at an all-time high — the Consumer Price Index continues to remain quite high. It is possible that the government has finally managed to get a system that is actually delivering.
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