THE HINDU Editorial Vocabulary- September 14, 2017- Topic 1

A formal break

On Sasikala's ouster

Finally, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam is without its deeply polarising figure, the interim general secretary, V.K. Sasikala. As a close friend of Jayalalithaa, she had played a major role in the party’s affairs for more than 25 years, evoking both fear and loyalty among the party’s second line of leaders. Her removal was the precondition set by the O. Panneerselvam faction of the party for a merger, a first step before the party could reclaim its original identity and flag and election symbol. 

Whether the faction led by Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami adopted this course out of political necessity or out of a genuine desire to keep Sasikala out of the party’s affairs is now immaterial: the break with the Sasikala family is real. The consequences of her removal at the meeting of the general council of the party will be immediate: greater political legitimacy for the ruling faction’s claim to be truly representative of the party’s organisational support base and increased isolation of the Sasikala clan from the party. While there are many in the party, including ministers, who still sympathise with Sasikala, or feel a sense of gratitude towards her, the party will no longer be remote-controlled by the ‘Mannargudi clan’. The newly evolved collective leadership in the party, with Mr. Panneerselvam as the coordinator and Mr. Palaniswami as the co-coordinator, and the abolition of the powerful post of general secretary, will be resistant to the influence of Sasikala and her nephew T.T.V. Dhinakaran.

However, the Sasikala group under the leadership of Mr. Dhinakaran commands the overt support of at least 18 members of the Assembly, enough to pull down the government. They have been hesitant to form themselves as a breakaway group either for fear of being disqualified for defection or in the hope that they might be able to capture the leadership of the parent party. The general council meeting could only have accentuated the differences with the Dhinakaran group. A reconciliation is close to impossible now, although Sasikala has not been expelled from the party. The changed equations within the ruling party, which no longer appears to enjoy the confidence of a majority in the House, should force Governor C. Vidyasagar Rao out of his inaction. Mr. Palaniswami should seek another vote of confidence as, even by the admission of his own camp he is well short of an absolute majority in the Assembly. The political gains from the merger of the two camps notwithstanding, Mr. Palaniswami might have risked the stability of his own government by patching up with Mr. Panneerselvam. Just as he ties up one end, things are beginning to unravel at the other.

Vocabulary

Polarise: divide or cause to divide into two sharply contrasting groups or sets of opinions or beliefs.

Example: The cultural sphere has polarized into two competing ideological positions

Interim: the intervening time.

Example: In the interim i'll just keep my fingers crossed

Synonyms: meantime, meanwhile, intervening time, interlude, interval

Evoke: bring or recall to the conscious mind.

Example: The sight of American asters evokes pleasant memories of childhood

Precondition: a condition that must be fulfilled before other things can happen or be done.

Example: A precondition for peace

Synonyms: prerequisite, necessary condition, requirement, necessity

Reclaim: retrieve or recover something previously lost, given, or paid

Example: He returned three years later to reclaim his title as director of advertising

Synonyms: get back, recoup, claim back, recover, regain, retrieve

Immaterial: unimportant under the circumstances; irrelevant.

Example: So long as the band kept the beat, what they played was immaterial

Synonyms: irrelevant, unimportant, inconsequential, insignificant

Legitimacy: conformity to the law or to rules.

Example: Refusal to recognize the legitimacy of both governments

Sympathise: agree with a sentiment, opinion, or ideology.

Example: They sympathize with critiques of traditional theory

Synonyms: agree, Support, be in favour of, show interest

Gratitude: the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.

Example: She expressed her gratitude to the committee for their support

Synonyms: gratefulness, thankfulness, thanks, appreciation, indebtedness

Clan: a group of close-knit and interrelated families

Example: Tartan ties, scarves and even a map of the Scottish clans filled the window of the shop.

Hesitant: tentative, unsure, or slow in acting or speaking.

Example: Clients are hesitant about buying

Synonyms: uncertain, undecided, unsure, doubtful, dubious, skeptical, tentative

Accentuate: make more noticeable or prominent.

Example: His jacket unfortunately accentuated his paunch

Synonyms: focus attention on, draw attention to, point up, underline, underscore

Patch: mend or strengthen fabric or an item of clothing by putting a piece of material over a hole or weak point in it.

Example: Her jeans were neatly patched

Synonyms: mend, repair, put a patch on, sew (up), and stitch (up)

Unravel: investigate and solve or explain something complicated or puzzling.

Example: They were attempting to unravel the cause of death

Synonyms: solve, resolve, clear up, puzzle out, unscramble, get to the bottom of