Gareeb Podcast: Puri Gets It Wrong!

Director Puri Jagannadh’s podcasts are garnering good appreciation from one and all. At this juncture, his latest podcast on poor – ‘Gareeb’ has hit a controversy as the writer-director suggested the government and people to exclude white ration card holders from voting in the elections.

Stating that freebies and subsidies from governments are making people ‘lazy’, Puri said people should be given the option of either to have a Vote or White Card, so that only genuinely needed poor people would opt for white card. He also added that this would further avoid people who sell their votes for money, liquor to cast their votes in polls. He said drunkers would be excluded from voting in the polls through this ‘reform’. Puri in his latest musing said that people who want to vote should give up their white ration card and work hard for their earning.

This whole talk of Puri is drawing mixed reactions. Vote is a right granted to a citizen by the constitution. It is a fundamental right. Depriving poor people and white-rating card holders of voting rights isn’t a good idea. While this may sound cinematic, but practically it isn’t possible.

The logic Puri lost is that even governments and politicians announce freebies to people for votes and naturally whoever loses votes would be ignored in the state though they possess white-ration card. So opting for white-ration card without a vote is nothing but a self-goal.

Interestingly, the other recommendation made by Puri in the same podcast is welcoming. Regarding education, he asked the governments to offer education loans to students studying in government schools, colleges and once the students get their jobs they should repay their loans to the government. This is good. But again, every time during elections, the political parties would be in race to waive off the education loans for votes.

In fact, Jagan’s administration announced the Amma Vodi scheme that allows mothers from poor families who are sending their children to schools to get Rs 15,000 into their bank accounts for educational expenses. So, Puri’s thoughts on Gareeb are revolutionary, reforming, but certainly not practical in this country.