India, May 9 -- Freebies are in full flow this election season. Arguably, Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi's enormous popularity owes to the significant expansion of welfare schemes on his watch rather than any big initiatives to help the poor improve their livelihoods on a sustainable basis. The Congress, on its part, is hoping to script its comeback at the national level by upscaling the "guarantees" that fetched it electoral success in Karnataka and Telangana. Regional parties which have historically been at the forefront of handouts are vying with each other to woo voters with freebies. And no one is asking any questions about where the money for all this will come from. There is a strong case for restraint....