Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Gathering storm: On the Congress crisis

Gathering storm: On the Congress crisis

No outside talent can help the Congress unless it nurtures (पालन - पोषण करना, प्रोत्साहित करना, समर्थन करना) its roots (बुनियाद, उत्पत्ति, शुरुआत) and respects its workers

The Congress party is gripped (पकड़, पीड़ित करना, प्रभावित करना) by a crisis after its Punjab strategy (योजना, रणनीति) to unseat (तोड़ना, हटाना, गिराना) Captain Amarinder Singh as Chief Minister went haywire (ख़राब, परेशान, गड़बड़). The reformist (सुधारक, उदार, दूरंदेशी) group within the party has questioned the authority (अधिकार, शक्ति, प्रभुत्व) of the family triumvirate (a group of three powerful or notable people having influence) comprising Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, in a manner it had avoided until now. While the Gandhis were resolute (दृढ़ संकल्प, उद्देश्यपूर्ण) about ejecting Captain Amarinder, they were clueless about what would come afterwards. As it happened, Charanjit Singh Channi emerged as Chief Minister out of a factional (गुटसंबंधी, दलसंबंधी) scramble, and the party sought to find virtue (नैतिकता, प्रभावोत्पादकता, उपयोगिता) in his accidental (आकस्मिक, अप्रत्याशित) elevation (ऊंचाई, पदोन्नति) by highlighting (underline, underscore, emphasize) his Dalit identity (individuality, character, originality). The Dalits in Punjab are largely with the Congress. Whether the party will accrue additional votes owing to (because of, as a result of, on account of, due to) Mr. Channi’s identity remains an open question (something that is not yet decided). Meanwhile, resentment (bitterness, indignation, irritation, enmity, hatred/hate) is streaming forth (out, away, off). Navjot Singh Sidhu, who never deserved to be the president of a Congress state unit to begin with, resigned in a huff (in a bad mood; in a angry state; annoyed, rage, fury, temper), embarrassing the Gandhi siblings. Captain Amarinder, now bruised (upset, insult, affront, hurt) and humiliated, is vengeful (vindictive, revengeful, avenging) and appears willing to do anything to derail (obstruct, interrupt, impede/thwart) the Congress’s prospects in next year’s Assembly election. He could join hands (work together with) with the BJP or explore other options. Many social fault lines in Punjab may have resurfaced (reappear, reemerge, return, recur, come out again, arise again) now. Mr. Sidhu has been playing the Sikh communal card, which could have dangerous ramifications (consequence, result, aftermath, outcome).

Mr. Gandhi’s impatience with the party old guard (old member of an organisation) is understandable and even justified to a great extent. What he lacks (be without, be lacking, be deprived of, be short of) is a coherent strategy and transparent (open/candid, forthright, straightforward, honest) plan to revamp (recondition, rehabilitate, rebuild, overhaul) the party. He owned up to the party’s debacle (fiasco, failure, disaster) in the 2019 general election and resigned as party president, but continued to retain ultimate authority. He appoints and removes office bearers and Chief Ministers, while posturing (assume or have a particular attitude/position in order to impress/mislead) that he is above the fray. This is untenable (unjustified, unacceptable; faulty/flawed; illogical/irrational) as his authority without accountability (responsibility, liability, answerability) is far too (way too, much too) evident. If he wants to be the leader of the Congress, it cannot be in the informal and whimsical manner as it is now. It needs to be formal and consultative (advisory, recommendatory, consulting, counseling), for which he needs to return as the party president. Reviving the Congress will require the leadership’s constant engagement (participation, taking part, involvement) with workers, and the management of the egos and ambitions of individual leaders. The Congress cannot be revived by stealth (furtiveness, secretiveness, clandestineness, covertness) and subterfuge (deception, trickery, tactic, cunning/cheating (action), intrigue), or by recruiting boastful (bragging, swaggering, overbearing, full of oneself, arrogant, egotistical, big-mouthed, big-headed) charlatans. The burden of revitalising it cannot be shifted to the shoulders (someone’s shoulders considered as bearing responsibility) of random, untested new recruits (new member, new entrant), as Punjab shows. Mr. Gandhi is taken in by the self-defeatist (counterproductive, self-defeating, futile) notion that the Congress as it exists cannot be revved up (become more active, make someone or something more active; accelerate, speed up, increase the speed (of an engine/motor/something similar) quickly) until there is a purge and parallel (related, corresponding, comparable, similar) induction of outside talent. No knight in shining armour (protector, rescuer, preserver, champion, defender) can help the Congress unless it nurtures its roots and respects its workers. The disastrous Punjab experiment underscores that elementary (basic, fundamental; simple, straightforward) fact.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.nurture (verb)

Hindi Meaning - पालन - पोषण करना, प्रोत्साहित करना, समर्थन करना
English Meaning - encourage, support, promote, foster, cultivate, boost.

2.root (noun)

Hindi Meaning - बुनियाद, उत्पत्ति, शुरुआत
English Meaning - origins, beginnings; basic cause of something.

3.grip (verb)

Hindi Meaning - पकड़, पीड़ित करना, प्रभावित करना
English Meaning - afflict, affect, take over, beset, torment.

4.strategy (noun)

Hindi Meaning - योजना, रणनीति
English Meaning - plan of action (in order to achieve a more expansive set of political, economic, and security interests)

5.unseat (verb)

Hindi Meaning - तोड़ना, हटाना, गिराना
English Meaning - oust, topple, overthrow, bring down.

6.haywire (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - ख़राब, परेशान, गड़बड़
English Meaning - out of control, out of order, faulty.

7.reformist (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - सुधारक, उदार, दूरंदेशी
English Meaning - liberal, forward-looking, forward-thinking; reforming, dynamic.

8.authority (noun)

Hindi Meaning - अधिकार, शक्ति, प्रभुत्व
English Meaning - power, dominance, command, control; influence, sway, the upper hand.

9.resolute (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - दृढ़ संकल्प, उद्देश्यपूर्ण
English Meaning - determined, purposeful, resolved, single-minded, strong-minded.

10.factional (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - गुटसंबंधी, दलसंबंधी
English Meaning - partisan, sectarian.

11.scramble (noun)

Hindi Meaning - संघर्ष, जल्दी करो
English Meaning - struggle, hurry, rush.

12.seek (verb)

Hindi Meaning - माँगना, कोशिश करना, प्रयास करना
English Meaning - try, attempt, aim.

13.virtue (noun)

Hindi Meaning - नैतिकता, प्रभावोत्पादकता, उपयोगिता
English Meaning - advantage, benefit, efficacy, usefulness.

14.accidental (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - आकस्मिक, अप्रत्याशित
English Meaning - incidental, unexpected, inadvertent, unplanned.

15.elevation (noun)

Hindi Meaning - ऊंचाई, पदोन्नति
English Meaning - promotion.

16.go haywire (phrase)

English Meaning - go out of control.

17.gathering storm (phrase)

English Meaning - trouble that is arriving/approaching.

18.storm (noun)

English Meaning - trouble, disturbance, controversy.

19.triumvirate (noun)

English Meaning - a group of three powerful or notable people having influence.

20.highlight (verb)

English Meaning - underline, underscore, emphasize.

21.identity (noun)

English Meaning - individuality, character, originality.

22.accrue (verb)

English Meaning - accumulate, collect, gather, amass, receive.

23.owing to (phrase)

English Meaning - because of, as a result of, on account of, due to.

24.open question (noun)

English Meaning - something that is not yet decided.

25.resentment (noun)

English Meaning - bitterness, indignation, irritation, enmity, hatred/hate.

26.stream (verb)

English Meaning - flow, pour, gush, surge.

27.forth (adjective)

English Meaning - out, away, off.

28.deserve (verb)

English Meaning - be worthy of, be entitled to, be qualified for, justify.

29.to begin with (phrase)

English Meaning - at first, at the outset, at the beginning.

30.in a huff (phrase)

English Meaning - in a bad mood; in a angry state; annoyed, rage, fury, temper.

31.embarrass (verb)

English Meaning - humiliate, upset, distress, make uncomfortable, make awkward.

32.sibling (noun)

English Meaning - offspring (usually, brother or sister).

33.bruise (verb)

English Meaning - upset, insult, affront, hurt.

34.humiliate (verb)

English Meaning - embarrass, humble, make ashamed, degrade, disgrace, discomfit.

35.vengeful (adjective)

English Meaning - vindictive, revengeful, avenging.

36.derail (verb)

English Meaning - obstruct, interrupt, impede/thwart.

37.prospects (noun)

English Meaning - chances, possibilities, expectations, outlook, future.

38.join hands (phrase)

English Meaning - work together with.

39.fault line (noun)

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

40.resurface (verb)

English Meaning - reappear, reemerge, return, recur, come out again, arise again.

41.play the card (phrase)

English Meaning - use/utilize something (an idea/issue) for an advantage.

42.ramification (noun)

English Meaning - consequence, result, aftermath, outcome.

43.impatience (noun)

English Meaning - restlessness, hastiness, quickness.

44.old guard (noun)

English Meaning - old member of an organisation.

45.to a extent (phrase)

English Meaning - somewhat, partly.

46.lack (verb)

English Meaning - be without, be lacking, be deprived of, be short of.

47.coherent (adjective)

English Meaning - united, consolidated, joined, combined; logical, reasonable, rational.

48.transparent (adjective)

English Meaning - open/candid, forthright, straightforward, honest.

49.revamp (verb)

English Meaning - recondition, rehabilitate, rebuild, overhaul.

50.own up to (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - accept responsibility, acknowledge, admit to.

51.debacle (noun)

English Meaning - fiasco, failure, disaster.

52.office bearer (noun)

English Meaning - official/officer; a person who holds a position of authority/responsibility in an organisation.

53.posture (verb)

English Meaning - assume or have a particular attitude/position in order to impress/mislead.

54.fray (noun)

English Meaning - competition, contest.

55.untenable (adjective)

English Meaning - unjustified, unacceptable; faulty/flawed; illogical/irrational.

56.accountability (noun)

English Meaning - responsibility, liability, answerability.

57.far too (phrase)

English Meaning - way too, much too.

58.whimsical (adjective)

English Meaning - volatile, unpredictable, mercurial, inconsistent, erratic, unstable, unsteady, fluctuating, bizarre, weird.

59.consultative (adjective)

English Meaning - advisory, recommendatory, consulting, counseling.

60.revive (verb)

English Meaning - energize, resuscitate, strengthen, regenerate, renew.

61.engagement (noun)

English Meaning - participation, taking part, involvement.

62.ego (noun)

English Meaning - self-esteem, self-importance, self-respect, self-confidence.

63.stealth (noun)

English Meaning - furtiveness, secretiveness, clandestineness, covertness.

64.subterfuge (noun)

English Meaning - deception, trickery, tactic, cunning/cheating (action), intrigue.

65.boastful (adjective)

English Meaning - bragging, swaggering, overbearing, full of oneself, arrogant, egotistical, big-mouthed, big-headed.

66.charlatan (noun)

English Meaning - fraud, fake; cheater, double-dealer, pretender.

67.revitalise (verb)

English Meaning - re-energize, strengthen, revive.

68.shoulder (noun)

English Meaning - someone’s shoulders considered as bearing responsibility.

69.recruit (noun)

English Meaning - new member, new entrant.

70.take in (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - comprehend, understand, grasp, absorb; cheat, fool, or deceive someone.

71.self-defeatist (adjective)

English Meaning - counterproductive, self-defeating, futile.

72.notion (noun)

English Meaning - idea, belief, concept, opinion, view.

73.rev up (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - become more active, make someone or something more active; accelerate, speed up, increase the speed (of an engine/motor/something similar) quickly.

74.purge (noun)

English Meaning - sudden removal, expulsion eviction, eradication, rooting out (of a group of people).

75.parallel (adjective)

English Meaning - related, corresponding, comparable, similar.

76.induction (noun)

English Meaning - recruitment, introduction, admission, admittance.

77.knight in shining armour (phrase)

English Meaning - protector, rescuer, preserver, champion, defender.

78.underscore (verb)

English Meaning - underline, emphasize, highlight.

79.elementary (adjective)

English Meaning - basic, fundamental; simple, straightforward.