THE HINDU Editorial Vocabulary- September 19, 2017- Topic 1

A partisan ruling

On disqualification of dissident AIADMK MLAs

The disqualification of 18 dissident AIADMK legislators by the Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker is a partisan decision aimed at securing a majority for the seven-month-old Edappadi K. Palaniswami government after a rebellion reduced it to a minority. The Speaker’s ruling comes at a time when there is an increasingly indefensible reluctance on the part of the Governor,Ch. Vidyasagar Rao, to order a floor test. It serves the political purpose of reducing the total membership of the House from 233 to 215 and, thereby, the majority threshold from 117 to 108. 

The disqualified legislators are loyalists of T.T.V. Dhinakaran, who heads a faction of the AIADMK opposed to the ruling dispensation controlled by Mr. Palaniswami and his Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam. The Speaker has interpreted their memorandum to the Governor expressing lack of confiidence in the Chief Minister as amounting to “voluntarily giving up” their party membership. The opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam had feared precisely such a turn of events. It had voiced apprehensions that the Speaker may disqualify the dissidents ahead of a possible trust vote, leading to the Madras High Court directing that there should be no floor test until September 20. The Dhinakaran faction may not command much popular support, but that is no reason for the Speaker to act in a politically partisan manner and keep them out of the House to prevent them from voting against the government. There is a growing feeling that the present regime will stop at nothing to remain in office. The Governor’s silence adds to the impression that the Centre is not averse to letting the regime go on, despite its apparent lack of numbers.

The Speaker’s decision under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution is subject to judicial review. If it is challenged, the courts will have to decide whether legislators withdrawing support to their own party’s government amounts to voluntarily giving up their membership, a condition under which a member may be disqualified. The second condition is attracted only when a whip is disobeyed, but even then there is a provision for the party to condone such a breach. In Balchandra L. Jarkiholi & Others v. B.S. Yeddyurappa (2011), the Supreme Court, in similar circumstances, quashed the disqualification of 11 MLAs in Karnataka. Last year, the Supreme Court declined to intervene when some dissenters hobnobbing with the opposition were disqualified just ahead of Harish Rawat’s confidence vote in Uttarakhand. In that case, the rebels had joined hands with the opposition in meeting the Governor, whereas there is no proven link between the AIADMK dissidents and the opposition in Tamil Nadu. While such legal and constitutional questions may be decided judicially, political morality has suffered another blow in the State. This government may survive a floor test in a truncated House, but at a cost to its legitimacy.

Vocabulary

Dissident: in opposition to official policy.

Example: There is only one explicitly dissident voice to be heard

Synonyms: dissenting, disagreeing, opposing, objecting, protesting

Partisan: prejudiced in favor of a particular cause.

Example: Newspapers have become increasingly partisan

Synonyms: biased, prejudiced, one-sided, discriminatory, colored, partial

Rebellion: an act of violent or open resistance to an established government or ruler.

Example: The authorities put down a rebellion by landless colonials

Synonyms: uprising, revolt, insurrection, mutiny, revolution, insurgence

Indefensible: not able to be protected against attack.

Example: The towns were tactically indefensible

Synonyms: inexcusable, unjustifiable, unjustified, unpardonable, unforgivable

Reluctance: unwillingness or disinclination to do something.

Example: She sensed his reluctance to continue

Synonyms: unwillingness, disinclination, hesitation, wavering, vacillation

Dispensation: exemption from a rule or usual requirement.

Example: Although she was too young, she was given special dispensation to play two matches

Synonyms: exemption, immunity, exception, exoneration, reprieve, remission

Precise: marked by exactness and accuracy of expression or detail.

Example: Precise directions

Synonyms: exact, accurate, correct, specific, detailed, explicit, unambiguous

Apprehension: anxiety or fear that something bad or unpleasant will happen.

Example: He felt sick with apprehension

Synonyms: anxiety, worry, unease, nervousness, nerves, misgivings

Averse: having a strong dislike of or opposition to something.

Example: As a former CIA director, he is not averse to secrecy

Synonyms: opposed to, against, antipathetic to, hostile to, ill-disposed to

Apparent: clearly visible or understood; obvious.

Example: It became apparent that he was talented

Synonyms: evident, plain, obvious, clear, manifest, visible, discernible

Condone: accept and allow behavior that is considered morally wrong or offensive to continue.

Example: The college cannot condone any behavior that involves illicit drugs

Synonyms: disregard, accept, allow, let pass, turn a blind eye to, overlook

Hobnob: mix socially, especially with those of higher social status.

Example: A select few who hobnob with the biggest celebrities the country has to offer

Synonyms: associate, mix, fraternize, socialize, keep company, spend time

Truncate: shorten something by cutting off the top or the end.

Example: A truncated cone shape

Synonyms: shorten, cut, cut short, curtail, bring to an untimely end, abbreviate

Legitimacy: conformity to the law or to rules.

Example: Refusal to recognize the legitimacy of both governments