A sign of policy paralysis in Maharashtra
Image for representation
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Politics in Maharashtra is at a crossroads where the reformist agenda of electoral politics has been taken over by monetary manipulations through the state apparatus. Though monetary considerations for votes are not new in politics, they were not structurally embedded in the state policy. Distribution of cash was a purely political phenomenon. The freebie culture routed through the state has diluted the policy process.
In earlier decades, when caste issues predominantly dominated electoral politics, certain political parties even criticised reservations — a policy of affirmative action — as a freebie. Distribution of freebies was considered a...