plowman_digearth t1_isoq4y9 wrote on October 17, 2022 at 3:52 PM

Reply to comment by -Not-Racist- in Number of poor people in India fell by about 415 mn between 2005-06 and 2019-21, a 'historic change': UN by AP24inMumbai

They were left of center or neolib. However you want to qualify that.

-Not-Racist- t1_isor1j9 wrote on October 17, 2022 at 3:59 PM

Lol no, right wing just different religion. Economic policy is really the same for both. Parties actually protest against things they had in their manifesto , whoever is in opposition at the time talks about workers and poverty. Concept of left wing right wing doesn't really apply, local politicians are the same just keep switching parties to whoever pays more

plowman_digearth t1_isortyr wrote on October 17, 2022 at 4:05 PM

No. I think what made UPA decidedly left is the big bets they took on social welfare schemes like MNREGA. Every trickle down loving libertarian uncle I knew was up in arms over it. They also tackled international diplomacy very sensibly by diffusing most tensions with China and Pakistan and balancing the NATO countries with Russia.

Their expansion of the public sector and strengthening of state institutions was also a very left leaning move. The whole UPI/Aadhar/Rupay thing which the current govt takes credit for - was conceived and initiated by UPA.

-Not-Racist- t1_isotbdo wrote on October 17, 2022 at 4:15 PM

The public sector hasn't seen expansion since 1991, when liberalisation and privatisation were accepted in India post the fall of Soviet Union.

The current Government literally gives everyone 8KG food grains and cooking oil for free. Get a ration card , stand in the line and you can get it too. Tons of new social schemes like interest free loans to small businesses. Plus even added EWS to reservation. People want to be mad at BJP but can't because well religion.

Only difference between the two parties is social stance. Both equally don't give a fuck about development. Congress was unbelievably corrupt and just embezzled the money. BJP spends the money on advertisement PR and temples, which a lot of the voters actually like.