THE HINDU Editorial Vocabulary- December 27, 2017- Topic 1
Change & continuity: what lies ahead for Rupani,
Thakur
A leader is as good as the party he leads. But in Gujarat and Himachal
Pradesh, the Bharatiya Janata Party found the performance of its chief
ministerial candidates at variance with that of the rest of the party. Vijay
Rupani, the incumbent Chief Minister, won his Rajkot West
seat comfortably, even as the BJP conceded ground to the Congress in
Gujarat. Prem Kumar Dhumal lost in Sujanpur, but the BJP won big in Himachal
Pradesh to wrest power from the Congress.
After the poor showing in Gujarat,
the re-nomination of Mr. Rupani as the legislature party leader was not
automatic; there were other contenders, including his deputy, Nitin Patel. The
BJP was under some pressure to send a positive signal to the Patidar community,
large sections of which appeared to have shifted their allegiance to the
Congress. But the party settled for another term for Mr. Rupani, not wanting to
pin the blame for the below par performance on him. After all, the campaign had
been led from the front by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president
Amit Shah. Ignoring Mr. Rupani’s claim would only have meant laying the
groundwork for further disaffection within the party. In Himachal Pradesh, the
situation was, in many ways, very different. Despite losing his seat, Mr.
Dhumal was not out of contention for the post of Chief Minister till the very
end, with many newly elected members of the legislature offering to vacate
their seats for him. But while recognising that Mr. Dhumal did indeed boost its
chances in several seats, the BJP opted for five-time MLA Jairam Thakur as
the new Chief Minister. Evidently, the reasoning was that rewarding Mr. Dhumal
would be interpreted by detractors as a show of disrespect to the verdict of
the people in his constituency. Also, the BJP’s ideological mentor, the
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, is known to be opposed to rewarding with
ministerial posts those who have lost an election. That Mr. Thakur is a former
pracharak would only have made the RSS bring greater force to bear upon the BJP
in this regard.
While the choice of Mr. Rupani is a vote for continuity, it is not an
endorsement of everything that he did in the short period he has been in power
in Gujarat. To
rule in Mr. Modi’s name is one thing, but to not be a pro-active agent in
governance is quite another. Mr. Rupani will continue to be on test under the
keen eyes of the Modi-Shah combine. The BJP’s rural backing seems to have
shrunk and the party depended heavily on its core support base of traders and
the urban middle class to win the election. In Himachal, Mr. Thakur will likely
have a freer hand, but he too will be under watch. Unless he can help his party
beat the incumbency disadvantage, Mr. Thakur will not be seen as having done
his job. Retaining power is not as easy as re-gaining power.
Vocabulary
Performance: the action or process of carrying out or accomplishing an action,
task, or function.
Example: The continual performance of a single
task reduces a man to the level of a machine
Synonyms: carrying
out, execution, discharge, accomplishment, completion
Variance: the fact or quality of being different, divergent, or inconsistent.
Example: Her light tone was at variance with her
sudden trembling
Synonyms: difference, variation, discrepancy, dissimilarity, disagreement
Incumbent: necessary for someone as a duty or responsibility.
Example: It is incumbent on all decent people to
concentrate on destroying this evil
Synonyms: necessary for one to, essential that, required
that, imperative that
Concede: admit that something is true or valid after first denying or
resisting it.
Example: I had to concede that I'd overreacted
Synonyms: admit, acknowledge, accept, allow, grant, recognize, own
Contender: a person or group competing with others to achieve something.
Example: A presidential contender
Allegiance: loyalty or commitment of a subordinate to a superior or of an
individual to a group or cause.
Example: Those wishing to receive citizenship
must swear allegiance to the republic
Synonyms: loyalty, faithfulness, fidelity, obedience, homage, devotion
Disaffection: a state or feeling of being dissatisfied with the people in authority
and no longer willing to support them.
Example: There is growing disaffection with large
corporations
Evident: plain or obvious; clearly seen or understood.
Example: She ate the cookies with evident
enjoyment
Synonyms: obvious, apparent, noticeable, conspicuous, perceptible
Disrespect: lack of respect or courtesy.
Example: Growing disrespect for the rule of law
Synonyms: contempt, lack of
respect, scorn, disregard, disdain
Governance: the action or manner of governing.
Example: A more responsive system of governance
will be required
