Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Uniting the House: On the government, the Opposition and the Manipur issue

Uniting the House: On the government, the Opposition and the Manipur issue

The Prime Minister must use Parliament as a forum to reassure (आश्वस्त) the people of Manipur

Both the Opposition led by the Congress and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) say they want a parliamentary debate on Manipur, but they are unable to agree on a mechanism (तंत्र, प्रक्रिया) to do it. The abhorrent (घृणित, घिनौना) violence, including repeated incidents of sexual violence against tribal women in the State, should have brought the government and the Opposition together; instead, they are unable to even debate the issue. The Opposition has insisted that any discussion must begin with a statement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who would not commit to that. Home Minister Amit Shah said the government was willing to discuss the issue and sought the cooperation of the Opposition, which saw the outreach as an attempt to shield (protect, save, safeguard, defend, secure, insulate) Mr. Modi. The Opposition has now moved (propose, submit, put forward, request, urge (for discussion & resolution at a parliament)) a no-confidence motion (it is a proposal made by a member to the House that the House do something or order something to be done or express an opinion) against the government as a way of forcing Mr. Modi to speak on the issue. Considering how he has responded until now, that might be a bit too optimistic (आशावादी). The discussion on the no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha is likely (सम्भव, निःसंदेह) to be a continuation of the obfuscation (making of something obscure or unclear to understand; evasiveness, confusion) of the issue by the BJP and the persistent (continuous, constant, unending, unrelenting, unceasing) demand by the Opposition. Meanwhile, in the Rajya Sabha, the Opposition continues to demand a discussion followed by a statement by the Prime Minister.

The demand for a comprehensive (व्यापक, विस्तृत) statement by the Prime Minister is legitimate (valid, reasonable, reliable; legal, lawful), but the Opposition must understand that it serves no purpose if the outcome (नतीजा, परिणाम) is no discussion. It must seize whatever opportunity it gets for a discussion in Parliament, and take the protest to public places outside. The BJP’s response to the horror in Manipur has been to equate (compare, liken to, relate, connect, regard as the same as) it with crimes in Congress-ruled States, which is difficult to sustain (कायम रखना, जारी रखना). For moral (नैतिक) and strategic (रणनीतिक) reasons, the turmoil (disorder, turbulence, confusion, trouble, chaos) in Manipur is a threat to the country’s security, integrity (अखंडता), and social harmony (सामाक्जक सद्भाव); it is a threat that calls for national unity. It is a sad moment in Indian democracy that its politics remains partisan (पक्षपातपूर्ण) even in the face of (despite, notwithstanding, regardless of; when confronted with) such human suffering, ethnic violence and the breakdown (failure, collapse, disintegration, foundering, falling through) of law and order (क़ानून और व्यवस्था) in a sensitive border State. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has written to Mr. Shah saying that the government cannot be seeking the Opposition’s cooperation while the Prime Minister is likening (compare, equate, link, relate, connect, correlate, associate, set side by side) it to extremist outfits (organization, group). Labelling (name, call, term, identify, describe) critics (आलोचक, समीक्षक) as anti-national or unpatriotic (not showing love and support for one’s country; agitational, rabble-rousing, trouble making) may be politically convenient, but this predictable response in the BJP toolkit (a document containing a set of details or resources or guidelines or suggestions or various urgent action items about something in order to get it done) is turning out to be an impediment (obstacle, barrier, obstruction, hindrance, stumbling block, problem, difficulty, drawback, restriction) to national unity. It is time Mr. Modi called for healing in Manipur, reassured the scared (frightened, afraid, fearful, panicky, nervous) victims of the State and set an example by holding the perpetrators (a person who does immoral, harmful and illegal activities; criminal, culprit, evil-doer) accountable. And there is no better place than Parliament to make it all clear to the country and the world.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.reassure (verb)

Hindi Meaning - आश्वस्त
English Meaning - to comfort someone and make him/her stop worrying about something; hearten, soothe.

2.mechanism (noun)

Hindi Meaning - तंत्र, प्रक्रिया
English Meaning - system, arrangement, scheme, policy, regime; apparatus, medium, agency, instrument, channel.

3.abhorrent (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - घृणित, घिनौना
English Meaning - disgusting, loathsome, hateful, repugnant, repellent, distasteful, horrifying, heinous, awful/nasty.

4.optimistic (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - आशावादी
English Meaning - confident, positive, hopeful, reassuring, favourable, encouraging, promising.

5.likely (adverb)

Hindi Meaning - सम्भव, निःसंदेह
English Meaning - probably, presumably, doubtlessly

6.comprehensive (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - व्यापक, विस्तृत
English Meaning - inclusive, extensive, exhaustive, all-inclusive, all-encompassing, all-embracing, thorough, sweeping, far-reaching, widespread, broad-based, wide-ranging.

7.outcome (noun)

Hindi Meaning - नतीजा, परिणाम
English Meaning - end result, effect, end, conclusion, consequence, aftermath.

8.sustain (verb)

Hindi Meaning - कायम रखना, जारी रखना
English Meaning - justify, validate, uphold, support, substantiate.

9.moral (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - नैतिक
English Meaning - ethical; right-minded, principled, truthful, honest.

10.strategic (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - रणनीतिक
English Meaning - relating to achieving long-term or overall goals.

11.integrity (noun)

Hindi Meaning - अखंडता
English Meaning - unity, coherence, undividedness, togetherness, solidarity; honesty, uprightness, morality, rectitude, goodness, justice, fairness, equity.

12.social harmony (noun)

Hindi Meaning - सामाक्जक सद्भाव
English Meaning - when people live side by side in peace and mutual respect.

13.partisan (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - पक्षपातपूर्ण
English Meaning - biased, prejudiced, one-sided, factional, sectarian, preferential.

14.law and order (noun)

Hindi Meaning - क़ानून और व्यवस्था
English Meaning - lawful behaviour, order, lawfulness, discipline, peacefulness; (Under the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India and therefore, it is the primary duty of the State Governments to prevent, detect, register and investigate crime and prosecute the criminals).

15.critic (noun)

Hindi Meaning - आलोचक, समीक्षक
English Meaning - criticizer, censurer, castigator, attacker, fault-finder.

16.forum (noun)

English Meaning - place, stage, medium, channel, avenue.

17.sought past tense of seek (verb)

English Meaning - ask for, request, appeal, solicit, call on, invite.

18.outreach (noun)

English Meaning - the level of reaching out/activity/effort; involvement.

19.shield (verb)

English Meaning - protect, save, safeguard, defend, secure, insulate.

20.move (verb)

English Meaning - propose, submit, put forward, request, urge (for discussion & resolution at a parliament).

21.no-confidence motion (NCM) or motion of no confidence (noun)

English Meaning - the no-confidence motion means that one or more members of the national assembly (or parliament) have lost confidence in the appointed government. If the motion is accepted, then the party in power has to prove its majority in the House. The party can remain in power when it shows its strength through a floor test which is primarily taken to know whether the executive enjoys the confidence of the legislature. If they fail the floor test, the government has to resign.

22.motion (noun)

English Meaning - it is a proposal made by a member to the House that the House do something or order something to be done or express an opinion.

23.obfuscation (noun)

English Meaning - making of something obscure or unclear to understand; evasiveness, confusion.

24.persistent (adjective)

English Meaning - continuous, constant, unending, unrelenting, unceasing.

25.legitimate (adjective)

English Meaning - valid, reasonable, reliable; legal, lawful.

26.serve no purpose (phrase)

English Meaning - to have no use; have no purpose; ineffective, futile.

27.seize (verb)

English Meaning - take, capture (suddenly); take (an opportunity) eagerly.

28.seize the opportunity (phrase)

English Meaning - take advantage of.

29.equate (verb)

English Meaning - compare, liken to, relate, connect, regard as the same as.

30.turmoil (noun)

English Meaning - disorder, turbulence, confusion, trouble, chaos.

31.harmony (noun)

English Meaning - unity, solidarity, cooperation, agreement/concord.

32.call for (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - require, publicly ask/necessitate, demand.

33.in the face of (phrase)

English Meaning - despite, notwithstanding, regardless of; when confronted with.

34.ethnic (adjective)

English Meaning - relating to a population subgroup (cultural, national, traditional/folk) with a common national or cultural tradition.

35.breakdown (noun)

English Meaning - failure, collapse, disintegration, foundering, falling through.

36.liken (verb)

English Meaning - compare, equate, link, relate, connect, correlate, associate, set side by side.

37.extremist (adjective)

English Meaning - fanatic, radical, fundamentalist, sectarian, militant.

38.outfit (noun)

English Meaning - organization, group.

39.label (verb)

English Meaning - name, call, term, identify, describe.

40.unpatriotic (adjective)

English Meaning - not showing love and support for one’s country; agitational, rabble-rousing, trouble making.

41.toolkit (noun)

English Meaning - a document containing a set of details or resources or guidelines or suggestions or various urgent action items about something in order to get it done.

42.turn out (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - appear, emerge, be present; transpire, happen, occur, come about.

43.impediment (noun)

English Meaning - obstacle, barrier, obstruction, hindrance, stumbling block, problem, difficulty, drawback, restriction.

44.scared (adjective)

English Meaning - frightened, afraid, fearful, panicky, nervous.

45.hold accountable for (phrase)

English Meaning - to say that someone should accept the responsibility for something.

46.hold someone accountable for (phrase)

English Meaning - to consider someone responsible for something; blame someone for something.

47.perpetrator (noun)

English Meaning - a person who does immoral, harmful and illegal activities; criminal, culprit, evil-doer.

48.make clear (phrase)

English Meaning - explain, clarify, elucidate.