THE HINDU Editorial Vocabulary- November 22, 2017- Topic 1

Born to rule — On Rahul Gandhi's elevation

From the time he entered politics, and won Amethi in 2004, Rahul Gandhi knew the leadership of the Congress was his for the asking. The only question was when his mother, Sonia Gandhi, would be ready to step down. The inevitable succession from mother to son is related to the very nature of the Congress. Unfortunately for the party, no one but a member of the Nehru-Gandhi family can hold its potentially fractious elements together. 

So, in the absence of some totally unexpected twist, the December election process announced will see Mr. Gandhi as Congress president. This will formalise his de facto position as the leader of India’s largest opposition party, which is struggling to stitch together a national-level alternative to the resurgent BJP, under the Amit Shah-Narendra Modi combine. The timing of the elevation is significant. In the period immediately after the devastating defeat in the 2014 Lok Sabha election, the Congress did not want to push Mr. Gandhi to the top: that would have meant exposing him to unflattering comparisons with Mr. Modi, when the BJP was in its most dominant phase. Despite Ms. Gandhi’s ill-health, Mr. Gandhi seemed in no hurry to take up the leadership. That he is taking on the responsibility just before the Assembly election in Gujarat, a State the Congress has not won since 1985, is a signal to the electorate that Mr. Gandhi is ready for the long haul.

The real challenge for Mr. Gandhi is not winning the Congress leadership, but positioning himself as a rock in the way of the Modi juggernaut. When his mother chose not to stake claim for the prime ministership in 2004, and instead invited Manmohan Singh to head the UPA government, he might have assumed that only youth and inexperience stood in his way. But in the years since then, Mr. Gandhi betrayed a sense of entitlement without showing a willingness to be part of the government. At no time was this more evident than when he wanted torn up an ordinance promulgated by his own government to negate a Supreme Court verdict on disqualification of legislators on their conviction by a trial court. What he projected as a stand in keeping with public opinion came across as an arrogant act by a dynast against a Prime Minister beholden to him for staying in power. More recently, Mr. Gandhi has shown greater political maturity. He has spoken up against the failings of the Modi government and refused to be cowed down by trolls on social media. Dynasty might have taken him to the top of the party, but if he is to lead a country of India’s size, he will have to articulate a political vision people buy into. Nothing will be gained by waiting for Mr. Modi to mess up. Mr. Gandhi will need to show he is prime ministerial material, not just a reflexive critic of Mr. Modi and the BJP’s brand of politics.

Vocabulary

Inevitable: certain to happen; unavoidable.

Example: War was inevitable

Synonyms: unavoidable, inescapable, inexorable, ineluctable, assured

Succession: a number of people or things sharing a specified characteristic and following one after the other.

Example: She had been secretary to a succession of board directors

Synonyms: sequence, series, progression, chain, cycle, round, string

Fractious:  irritable and quarrelsome.

Example: They fight and squabble like fractious children

Synonyms: grumpy, bad-tempered, irascible, irritable, crotchety, grouchy

Twist: an act of turning something so that it moves in relation to something that remains stationary.

Example: The taps needed a single twist to turn them on

Synonyms: turn, twirl, spin, rotation, flick

Stitch: a sudden sharp pain in the side of the body, caused by strenuous exercise.

Example: She ran with a stitch in her side

Synonyms: sharp pain, stabbing pain, shooting pain, stab of pain, pang

Resurgent: Increasing or reviving after a period of little activity, popularity, or occurrence.

Example: Resurgent nationalism

Unflattering: not flattering.

Example: The reviews of the book were very unflattering

Synonyms: unfavorable, uncomplimentary, harsh, unsympathetic, critical

Betray: unintentionally reveal; be evidence of.

Example: She drew a deep breath that betrayed her indignation

Entitlement: the fact of having a right to something.

Example: Full entitlement to fees and maintenance should be offered

Synonyms: right, prerogative, claim, permission, dispensation, privilege

Torn: move very quickly, typically in a reckless or excited manner.

Example: She tore along the footpath on her bike

Synonyms: sprint, race, run, dart, rush, dash, hasten, hurry, bolt, fly

Promulgate: promote or make widely known an idea or cause.

Example: These objectives have to be promulgated within the organization

Synonyms: make known, make public, publicize, spread, communicate

Conviction: a firmly held belief or opinion.

Example: His conviction that the death was no accident

Synonyms: belief, opinion, view, thought, persuasion, idea, position

Arrogant: having or revealing an exaggerated sense of one's own importance or abilities.

Example: He's arrogant and opinionated

Synonyms: haughty, conceited, self-important, egotistic, full of oneself

Beholden: owing thanks or having a duty to someone in return for help or a service.

Example: I don't like to be beholden to anybody

Synonyms: indebted, in someone's debt, obligated, under an obligation

Articulate: express an idea or feeling fluently and coherently.

Example: They were unable to articulate their emotions

Synonyms: express, voice, vocalize, put in words, communicate, state, air