During an interaction with the IT fraternity at Technopark in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday, March 7, 2026, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi addressed concerns regarding political parties' continued focus on welfare provisions, often termed "freebies." An IT professional had questioned how such programs, including direct financial aid or food subsidies, align with India's aspirations for developed nation status.
In his response, Mr. Gandhi articulated that the Congress party would be willing to discontinue "freebies" for economically disadvantaged individuals if similar financial concessions provided to corporate entities, specifically mentioning "Mr. Adani or Mr. Ambani," were also halted. He contended that a select group of large Indian businesses receives substantially greater benefits—reportedly "thousands of times more"—than the assistance extended to the poor. Mr. Gandhi affirmed his readiness to eliminate all welfare benefits for the poor, provided that corporate subsidies are removed concurrently.
Source: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/ready-to-stop-freebies-to-poor-if-freebies-to-corporate-giants-are-stopped-says-rahul-gandhi/article70716268.ece
