Hindi English Translation || Editorial || For a consensus: On campaigning rhetoric and foreign policy

For a consensus: On campaigning rhetoric and foreign policy

Elections should not prompt (प्रेरित करना) politicians to break the consensus (सहमति) on foreign policy

With the curtains coming down on the general election 2024, every party will take stock of (to review a situation carefully, usually before making a decision; assess, analyze, weigh up, appraise, evaluate, investigate, scrutinize, look carefully at) its campaign (प्रचार) on issues of domestic political importance. However, it is also necessary for all concerned (to express that a particular situation affects multiple people involved in something or affected by it), particularly those forming the next government, to review the disturbing trend of revisiting questions of foreign policy. Both sides have ratcheted up (to increase something by a series of small amounts) the rhetoric over India’s international ties (संबंध) and in some cases, even the re-opening of settled bilateral (द्विपक्षीय) agreements. At the start of the campaign, the ruling party focused on the issue of the half-century-old Katchatheevu (it is a tiny 285-acre uninhabited island in the Palk Strait that divides India and Sri Lanka. Measuring 1.6 km in length and just over 300 m in width) agreement, that accepted the island as Sri Lankan territory, to target the Opposition Congress and the DMK that were in power in 1974. In response, Congress leaders asked whether the 2015 Land Boundary Agreement (भूमि सीमा समझौता) with Bangladesh could also be reviewed for its land concessions (समझौता). Prime Minister Narendra Modi has led the charge (आरोप) on other foreign policy fronts (a particular situation; a particular area of activity), especially on Pakistan, calling the Congress party a “disciple (adherent, supporter, advocate, champion, votary) of Pakistan” and comparing its manifesto (घोषणापत्र) pejoratively (अपमानजनक रूप से) to that of the Muslim League that founded Pakistan. U.P. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath even proclaimed (declare, announce, state, assert, affirm, profess) that were Mr. Modi to be re-elected, he would reclaim Pakistan Occupied Kashmir “within six months”. Other brash (self-assertive, assertive, self-confident, bold, audacious, brazen, brazen-faced) comments over India’s use of its nuclear arsenal (a range of resources (or weaponry) ready for a particular use; collection, range, battery, line-up, array), or that the government will transgress (उल्लंघन करना) international boundaries to kill ‘terrorists threatening India’, have raised eyebrows (आश्चर्य व्यक्त करना) in many capitals. The clashes between the Indian Army and Chinese PLA at Galwan in 2020 that led to the deaths of 20 soldiers have often been raised by Opposition leaders in campaign rallies, as in the past as well. Meanwhile, throughout the campaign, Mr. Modi and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar accused “western powers” of attempting to interfere (हस्तक्षेप करना) in Indian polls.

Such heated (intense, furious, fierce, fiery, frenzied, vehement) campaign rhetoric is meant for domestic audiences, but it would be unwise (मूर्खतापूर्ण) for political leaders to assume that India’s international partners are not watching and listening carefully. India’s ties with its smaller neighbours (पड़ोसी) carry the highest levels of sensitivity (sensitiveness, vulnerability), and raking up these issues and exposing (reveal, disclose, lay bare, unveil, show, display, exhibit, manifest, highlight, pinpoint) India’s vulnerable (attackable, exposed, endangered, unsafe, unprotected, undefended, defenceless, helpless, powerless) faultlines (a divisive issue; a difference of opinion), just to make political capital (the advantage over a political opponent that you can get from a particular situation; public/popular support), seems short-sighted (narrow-minded, myopic, parochial, small-minded, careless, foolish, ill-advised). While domestic policy has always been deeply (greatly, extremely, very much, strongly, intensely) divisive (alienating/isolating, disharmonious, discordant), India’s polity ( politically organized society) had for long achieved a bipartisanship (a political situation that occurs when two opposing parties work together to achieve common goals) when it came to foreign policy positions, and often took pride in the deployment (formation, positioning, stationing, arrangement, organization, utilization, disposal, disposition, distribution) of Opposition leaders to defend India’s case (the situation, the position, circumstances, conditions) worldwide, including at the UN. The proper platform (stage) for the government to assert (state, put forward, posit strongly) foreign policy, or for the Opposition to air its differences with it, is not the hustings, but Parliament. It is hoped that as the dust settles (things calm down), leaders will reflect on (consider, think carefully about, give thought to, deliberate about/on, mull over) the potential (possible, likely, probable) damage to India’s credibility from campaign propaganda (the (deliberate & systemic) spreading of information (facts, ideas, rumours or lies) to influence public opinion), and restore a more enduring (lasting, long-lasting, continuing, constant, steady, permanent, long-standing) consensus on international relations.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.consensus (noun)

Hindi Meaning - सहमति
English Meaning - an idea or opinion that is shared by all the people in a group, agreement, concurrence, general opinion/view, common consent.

2.campaign (noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्रचार
English Meaning - canvassing, electioneering, an act of soliciting (asking for/requesting) votes; an organized effort that seeks to influence the decision-making progress within a specific group.

3.prompt (verb)

Hindi Meaning - प्रेरित करना
English Meaning - cause, result in, lead to, bring on, give rise to, produce, evoke, induce.

4.ties (noun)

Hindi Meaning - संबंध
English Meaning - association, relationship, bond, connection.

5.bilateral (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - द्विपक्षीय
English Meaning - involving two groups or countries.

6.Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) (noun)

Hindi Meaning - भूमि सीमा समझौता
English Meaning - it is an agreement that will settle land boundary dispute through exchange of territories, removing a major irritant in bilateral ties of two countries.

7.concession (noun)

Hindi Meaning - समझौता
English Meaning - privilege, favour, right, allowance; agreement, deal, accommodation.

8.charge (noun)

Hindi Meaning - आरोप
English Meaning - accusation, allegation, blame.

9.manifesto (noun)

Hindi Meaning - घोषणापत्र
English Meaning - (policy) statement, declaration, pronouncement (issued by a political party before a General Election).

10.pejoratively (adverb)

Hindi Meaning - अपमानजनक रूप से
English Meaning - disapprovingly, contemptuously, disparagingly.

11.transgress (verb)

Hindi Meaning - उल्लंघन करना
English Meaning - violate, breach, break, offend, go against; be opposed to, contradict, counteract.

12.raise eyebrows (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - आश्चर्य व्यक्त करना
English Meaning - show surprise; to show that you are feeling surprised.

13.interfere (verb)

Hindi Meaning - हस्तक्षेप करना
English Meaning - intervene in, intrude into, nose into, meddle, poke.

14.unwise (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - मूर्खतापूर्ण
English Meaning - ill-advised, ill-considered, short-sighted, misguided, thoughtless.

15.neighbour (noun)

Hindi Meaning - पड़ोसी
English Meaning - a country that is next to another country; (bordering) country.

16.rhetoric (noun)

English Meaning - bombast, loftiness, hyperbole/extravagant language.

17.the curtains come down on (phrase)

English Meaning - something ends.

18.take stock of (phrase)

English Meaning - to review a situation carefully, usually before making a decision; assess, analyze, weigh up, appraise, evaluate, investigate, scrutinize, look carefully at.

19.for all concerned (phrase)

English Meaning - to express that a particular situation affects multiple people involved in something or affected by it.

20.ratchet up (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - to increase something by a series of small amounts.

21.settled (adjective)

English Meaning - resolved, fixed.

22.Katchatheevu (noun)

English Meaning - it is a tiny 285-acre uninhabited island in the Palk Strait that divides India and Sri Lanka. Measuring 1.6 km in length and just over 300 m in width.

23.front (noun)

English Meaning - a particular situation; a particular area of activity.

24.disciple (noun)

English Meaning - adherent, supporter, advocate, champion, votary.

25.proclaim (verb)

English Meaning - declare, announce, state, assert, affirm, profess.

26.brash (adjective)

English Meaning - self-assertive, assertive, self-confident, bold, audacious, brazen, brazen-faced.

27.arsenal (noun)

English Meaning - a range of resources (or weaponry) ready for a particular use; collection, range, battery, line-up, array.

28.People’s Liberation Army (PLA) (noun)

English Meaning - People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is the armed forces of the country of China and the Communist Party of China (CPC). It is one of the largest military forces in the world.

29.led to past & past participle of lead to (verb)

English Meaning - cause, result in, bring on, bring about, give rise to.

30.heated (adjective)

English Meaning - intense, furious, fierce, fiery, frenzied, vehement.

31.sensitivity (noun)

English Meaning - sensitiveness, vulnerability.

32.rake up (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - recollect, remember, revive/remind the memory of.

33.expose (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - reveal, disclose, lay bare, unveil, show, display, exhibit, manifest, highlight, pinpoint.

34.vulnerable (adjective)

English Meaning - attackable, exposed, endangered, unsafe, unprotected, undefended, defenceless, helpless, powerless.

35.faultline (noun)

English Meaning - a divisive issue; a difference of opinion.

36.political capital (noun)

English Meaning - the advantage over a political opponent that you can get from a particular situation; public/popular support.

37.short-sighted (adjective)

English Meaning - narrow-minded, myopic, parochial, small-minded, careless, foolish, ill-advised.

38.deeply (adverb)

English Meaning - greatly, extremely, very much, strongly, intensely.

39.divisive (adjective)

English Meaning - alienating/isolating, disharmonious, discordant.

40.polity (noun)

English Meaning - a politically organized society.

41.bipartisanship (noun)

English Meaning - a political situation that occurs when two opposing parties work together to achieve common goals.

42.deployment (noun)

English Meaning - formation, positioning, stationing, arrangement, organization, utilization, disposal, disposition, distribution.

43.case (noun)

English Meaning - the situation, the position, circumstances, conditions.

44.platform (noun)

English Meaning - stage.

45.assert (verb)

English Meaning - state, put forward, posit strongly.

46.the dust settles (phrase)

English Meaning - things calm down.

47.reflect on (verb)

English Meaning - consider, think carefully about, give thought to, deliberate about/on, mull over.

48.potential (adjective)

English Meaning - possible, likely, probable.

49.propaganda (noun)

English Meaning - the (deliberate & systemic) spreading of information (facts, ideas, rumours or lies) to influence public opinion.

50.enduring (adjective)

English Meaning - lasting, long-lasting, continuing, constant, steady, permanent, long-standing.