THE HINDU Editorial Vocabulary- November 17, 2017- Topic 1

Overreach: on the T.N Governor meeting govt. officials

It is an act of constitutional impropriety for the Governor of a State to review the work of government officials when an elected regime is in place. By holding meetings in Coimbatore to review programmes, the Tamil Nadu Governor, Banwarilal Purohit, has left himself open to charges that he has breached the constitutional limits of his office. 

Mr. Purohit met the District Collector, the Commissioner of Police and the Corporation Commissioner without any Minister present. The Governor has attempted to explain his interactions, saying he was seeking to familiarise himself with the administration and that he could appreciate its work in implementing schemes only if he got to know all details first hand. But this is hard to accept as a justification and his plan to visit all districts for a similar review does not augur well for parliamentary democracy. Article 167 of the Constitution says it is the Chief Minister’s duty to communicate to the Governor all decisions of the Council of Ministers relating to the administration and proposals for legislation. It enjoins the Chief Minister to furnish such information relating to the administration as the Governor may call for. If Mr. Purohit wants to understand how schemes are being implemented, he can seek details from the Chief Minister, Edappadi K. Palaniswami, instead of holding meetings in the districts. There may be occasions when the Governor may need to ask a top bureaucrat or the head of the police force for a report on a major incident or development, but even that should be for the limited purpose of getting an accurate picture before sending a report to the Centre.

The political context in which Mr. Purohit is exhibiting his zeal to familiarise himself with the administration is significant. There is a sense of drift in governance in Tamil Nadu, and it is widely believed that it is running on ‘autopilot’. The Chief Minister’s majority in the Assembly is in doubt, given that the Speaker had to disqualify 18 dissident legislators to shore up his support within the legislature party. An impression has gained ground that the Bharatiya Janata Party is seeking to fill the perceived political vacuum, but is caught in a bind on how to go about it because of its lack of a political base in Tamil Nadu. Therefore, the Centre is seen as leaning on the State government and the ruling AIADMK to help the BJP gain a political foothold. The prospect of the State coming under a spell of President’s Rule if the present regime formally loses its majority in the House is on everyone’s mind. Therefore, Mr. Purohit’s familiarisation exercise is bound to be read for signs of what the future has in store. Mr. Purohit will do well not to fuel such speculation. None of this, of course, implies that the Governor should refrain from taking an independent view of any matter or legislative proposal. But his functioning should be within the bounds of established norms and conventions.

Vocabulary

Impropriety: a failure to observe standards or show due honesty or modesty; improper language, behavior, or character.

Example: She was scandalized at the impropriety of the question

Synonyms: wrongdoing, misconduct, dishonesty, corruption, unscrupulousness

Review: examine or assess something formally with the possibility or intention of instituting change if necessary.

Example: The company's safety procedures are being reviewed

Synonyms: remember, recall, reflect on, think through, go over in one's mind

Breach: make a gap in and break through a wall, barrier, or defense.

Example: The river breached its bank

Synonyms: break (through), burst (through), rupture, bust (through)

Interaction: reciprocal action or influence.

Ongoing interaction between the two languages

Seek: attempt to find (something).

Example: They came here to seek shelter from biting winter winds

Synonyms: search for, try to find, look for, be on the lookout for, be after, hunt for

Appreciate: recognize the full worth of.

Example: She feels that he does not appreciate her

Synonyms: value, treasure, admire, respect, hold in high regard, think highly of

Augur: portend a good or bad outcome.

Example: The end of the Cold War seemed to augur well

Synonyms: bode, portend, herald, be a sign of, warn of, forewarn of

Enjoin: instruct or urge someone to do something.

Example: The code enjoined members to trade fairly

Furnish: provide a house or room with furniture and fittings.

Example: The proprietor has furnished the bedrooms in a variety of styles

Synonyms: fit out, provide with furniture, appoint, outfit

Significant: sufficiently great or important to be worthy of attention; noteworthy.

Example: A significant increase in sales

Synonyms: notable, noteworthy, worthy of attention, remarkable

Dissident: in opposition to official policy.

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

Synonyms: dissenting, disagreeing, opposing, objecting, protesting

Speculation: the forming of a theory or conjecture without firm evidence.

Example: There has been widespread speculation that he plans to quit

Refrain: stop oneself from doing something.

Example: She refrained from comment

Synonyms: abstain from, desist from, hold back from, stop oneself from