THE HINDU Editorial Vocabulary- October 13, 2016- Topic 2
What threatened to become a
constitutional impasse in Tamil Nadu has been averted with Governor Ch.
Vidyasagar Rao allocating the
portfolios held by the ailing Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, to her seniormost colleague in the Cabinet, O.
Panneerselvam. He also made it clear that Mr. Panneerselvam will preside over
Cabinet meetings. The arrangement, to continue until Ms. Jayalalithaa resumes
her duties, is undoubtedly a pragmatic move, as it addresses the concern about
who is responsible for governance in the interregnum caused by the Chief Minister’s hospitalisation. Mr. Rao appears to
have broached the need for an interim arrangement with representatives of the
AIADMK government as soon as it became clear that Ms. Jayalalithaa would
require a prolonged stay in hospital. Opposition
parties were getting uneasy over the
possibility that unelected members of her inner circle could be calling the
shots. Perhaps the arrangement could have been made a few days earlier, if only
the ruling party had shown less reluctance to acknowledge the reality that the
Chief Minister’s health does not permit her to discharge her duties. It is a
matter of satisfaction that the impasse has ended. Given the constitutional bar
on any such inquiry, it will be unwise to question the claim that the present
arrangement has been made “as per the advice” of the Chief Minister.
Developments in 1984, when Governor S.L.
Khurana reassigned M.G. Ramachandran’s
portfolios to V.R. Nedunchezhiyan
and asked the latter to preside over Cabinet meetings, constitute a guiding
precedent favoured by several jurists. D.D. Basu says in his Shorter Constitution of India: “If the Governor allocates the functions of the
Chief Minister, under Art.166(3), to some other Minister during the temporary
absence (say, illness) of the Chief Minister, the functions of the Chief
Minister under the Constitution can be discharged by that other Minister, e.g.,
to preside over meetings of the Council of Ministers; to communicate to the
Governor the decisions of the Council of Ministers under Art.167(a); to advise
dissolution of the Legislative Assembly under Art.174(2)(b).” It is often said
that the Constitution is wisely silent on some aspects, so that constitutional
functionaries are not unduly constrained by mere words and may act effectively
to deal with a variety of emergent situations. However, given what has
transpired recently in Tamil Nadu, it may be advisable to adopt the convention
that the minister next in seniority to the Chief Minister is automatically
recognised as officiating chief executive when she or he is temporarily
unavailable, due to ill-health or otherwise.
Vocabulary
Impasse: a situation in which no progress is possible, especially because of
disagreement; a deadlock.
Example: The current political impasse
Synonyms: deadlock, dead end, stalemate, standoff, standstill, halt, stoppage
Averted: turn away one's eyes or thoughts.
Example: She averted her eyes during the more violent scenes
Synonyms: turn aside, turn away
Preside: be in the position of authority in a meeting or gathering.
Example: Bishop Herbener presided at the meeting
Synonyms: chair, be chairman/chairwoman/chairperson of/at
Pragmatic: dealing with things sensibly and realistically in a way that is based on
practical rather than theoretical considerations.
Example: A pragmatic approach to politics
Synonyms: practical, matter-of-fact, sensible, down-to-earth, commonsensical
Interregnum: a period when normal government is suspended, especially between successive
reigns or regimes.
Example: Ancient Mesopotamia is a symbolic resource for a future Iraq as it was once
before during a short interregnum before the Ba'athist regime came to power in
1963.
Prolonged: extend the duration of.
Example: An idea that prolonged the life of the engine by many years
Synonyms: lengthen, extend, draw out, drag out, protract, spin
out, stretch out
Perhaps: used to express uncertainty or possibility.
Example: Perhaps I should have been frank with him
Synonyms: maybe, for all one knows, it could be, it may be, it's
possible, possibly
Reluctance: unwillingness or disinclination to do something.
Example: She sensed his reluctance to continue
Synonyms: unwillingness, disinclination, hesitation, wavering, vacillation, doubts
Precedent: preceding in time, order, or importance.
Example: A precedent case
Synonyms: model, exemplar, example, pattern, previous case, prior instance/example
Emergent: in the process of coming into being or becoming prominent.
Example: The emergent democracies of eastern Europe
Synonyms: emerging, developing, rising, dawning, budding, embryonic, infant
