The New Indian Express ·
From Trump to Yogi: Populist right turns left
When in doubt, turn left. The old trick to exit from a maze is now the go-to hack of the political right. From Washington to London to Lucknow, parties that built their identity on conservatism, free markets and small government are the ones expanding the State’s role and writing out cheques. They call the payouts dividends, income support, enterprise capital—anything but welfare.
On Wednesday, US President Donald J Trump promised to “issue a dividend to every adult citizen in the US for $5,000—if Republicans hold both chambers of Congress in November”. No details on the funding mechanism. No legislative draft—just a figure and a condition. Roughly 14,000 km away, in Lucknow, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced the rollout of a scheme entitling one crore women Rs 1 lakh credit without interest under the Mahila Udyami Credit Yojana.
Trump and Yogi are not an odd couple. Earlier this week, Reform UK chief Nigel Farage promised Britons tax-free personal allowance to £15,000 and a £250 cut in energy bills. He also proposed to launch a Britannia Card that billionaires can buy at £250,000 for a 10-year residency permit. It would guarantee no tax on foreign income and the card fees will be used to pay low-income British workers £600 to £1,000 a year.
