THE HINDU Editorial Vocabulary - June 20, 2018 - Topic 1
A marriage of convenience ends the moment a
divorce becomes more convenient. In Jammu and Kashmir, the post-poll coalition
of the two polar opposites, the Bharatiya Janata Party
and the Peoples Democratic Party, was never meant to
coalesce into a credible pre-poll alliance. But while the PDP would have been
willing to wait till the Assembly election in 2020 before breaking ties, the
BJP had its compulsions for pulling out of the alliance before the Lok Sabha
election next year. Both parties feed off the denominational divide, the BJP
depending on the Hindu vote bank in Jammu and the PDP on the Muslim vote bank in
Kashmir.
Neither party’s campaign rhetoric would have appealed to the other’s
support base. The divorce was thus foretold from the beginning: what was left
to be decided was the most opportune moment for separation. For the BJP, the
controversy over the support extended by two of its Ministers to the accused in
the Kathua rape-and-murder case would have signalled that the alliance was no
longer sustainable. A majority of its supporters in the Jammu region were
opposed to the case being pursued to its logical conclusion. But outside of
Jammu, the BJP knew it could not be seen as extending support to the accused.
The withdrawal of the two Ministers from the J&K Cabinet did not go down
well with the BJP’s rank and file, which was beginning to feel the PDP was getting
the better of the bargain. But breaking ties on the Kathua issue would have
sent all the wrong signals to the rest of the country, which was horrified at
the brutal nature of the crime. So the BJP chose to wait.
The differences over whether or not to extend the
cessation of operations against the militants announced for the Ramzan month
provided a fresh opportunity. While the PDP wanted the cessation of operations
to continue so that it could serve as a launch pad to talk with separatists
about a political solution, the BJP saw it as no more than a respite from
stone-pelting in the Valley. In any case, with the Hurriyat showing absolutely
no inclination to talk, and the militants targeting civilians and Army
personnel in a continuing spiral of violence, there were arguments to the
effect that it was futile to extend the stay on Army operations. Given how the
numbers stack up in the J&K Assembly, an alternative government without the
BJP will need the PDP, the National Conference and the Congress to come
together — a possibility that is, to understate the point, somewhat remote. The
PDP and the NC are political rivals in the Valley, fighting for the same
political constituency. A coalition would be fraught with political risks for
both. The 2014 verdict was a fractured mandate, one that reflected the
fragmented polity of a State torn asunder by violence. Another election may not
guarantee political stability, but it remains the only way to test the popular
will of the people in this roiled State.
Vocabulary
Convenience: the
state of being able to proceed with something with little effort or difficulty.
Example: The
museum has a cafeteria for your convenience
Coalesce: come
together and form one mass or whole.
Example: The
puddles had coalesced into shallow streams
Synonyms: merge, unite, combine, fuse, mingle, blend, amalgamate
Alliance: a
union or association formed for mutual benefit, especially between countries or
organizations.
Example: A
defensive alliance between Australia and New Zealand
Synonyms: association, union, league, confederation, federation, confederacy
Appealed: make
a serious or urgent request, typically to the public.
Example: Police
are appealing for information about the incident
Synonyms: ask
urgently/earnestly, make an urgent/earnest request
Controversy: disagreement,
typically when prolonged, public, and heated.
Example: He
sometimes caused controversy because of his forceful views
Synonyms: disagreement, dispute, argument, debate, dissension, contention
Sustainable: able
to be maintained at a certain rate or level.
Example: Sustainable
fusion reactions
Horrify: fill
with horror; shock greatly.
Example: They
were horrified by the very idea
Synonyms: frighten, scare, terrify, petrify, paralyze, alarm, panic, terrorize
Cessation: the
fact or process of ending or being brought to an end.
Example: The
cessation of hostilities
Synonyms: end, ending, termination, stopping, halting, ceasing, finish, finishing
Inclination: a
person's natural tendency or urge to act or feel in a particular way; a
disposition or propensity.
Example: John
was a scientist by training and inclination
Synonyms: tendency, propensity, proclivity, leaning, predisposition, disposition
Constituency: a
body of voters in a specified area who elect a representative to a legislative
body.
Example: The
politician who wishes to remain in the good graces of his constituency
Fracture: the
cracking or breaking of a hard object or material.
Example: Bone
density testing can predict the risk for fracture
Synonyms: breaking, breakage, cracking, fragmentation, splintering, rupture
Asunder: apart;
divided.
Example: Those
whom God hath joined together let no man put asunder
Synonyms: apart, up, in
two, to pieces, to shreds, to bits
