Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Bad precedent: On the expulsion of Trinamool Congress Member of Parliament Mahua Moitra

Bad precedent: On the expulsion of Trinamool Congress Member of Parliament Mahua Moitra

The expulsion of Mahua Moitra is ominous for parliamentary democracy (संसदीय लोकतंत्र)

The expulsion of Trinamool Congress Member of Parliament Mahua Moitra from the Lok Sabha by a hurried (जल्दी में) voice vote (a voice vote involves the speaker putting a question to the house and then asking the house to put forward its opinion in the forms of ayes (yes) or noes. Based on a rough measure of which side was louder, the speaker decides if the motion was passed or fell through) on December 8, based on a report of the Ethics Committee (आचार समिति) of the House, is bad in form and substance (it refers to the appearance (form) & essence (substance) of something). It was not, however, surprising. By a 6:4 majority, including the vote of a suspended Congress MP, the committee recommended her expulsion, holding (have (an opinion/a belief); think, believe, feel, deem, reckon) her guilty (दोषी, अपराधी) of ‘unethical conduct (behaviour; actions, deeds),’ ‘breach (उल्लंघन) of privilege (विशेषाधिकार)’ and ‘contempt of the House.’ These were charges raised by a Bharatiya Janata Party MP, who was in turn depending on the statement of Ms. Moitra’s estranged (alienated, separated, isolated, deserted, distanced) partner. The committee cited (mention, refer to, point to, adduce, invoke, turn to, resort to) in its report a precedent (मिसाल, उदाहरण) of the expulsion of 11 MPs in 2005 for a cash-for-query sting operation (a deceptive operation which is designed to catch a person committing the crime) by a news platform. There was video evidence that established (स्थापित करना) a strong case then, unlike the charges against Ms. Moitra. She shared her login credentials (identity documents, identity papers, references, permit, license) with businessman Darshan Hiranandani to upload Parliament questions, a fact she herself admitted (acknowledge, accept, agree, confess, concede, recognize). The committee conceded in its report that it had no proof of cash exchanges and its report called for “legal, intensive, institutional and time-bound (समयबद्ध) investigation”, into that aspect (पहलू). Nevertheless (फिर भी), it was emphatic (ज़ोरदार) in calling for her expulsion, and even labelled the sharing of her login credentials a criminal act.

The links (connection, tie-up, association, relationship) suggested (सुझाव देना) between Ms. Moitra’s Parliament questions and the business interests (दिलचस्पी) of the Hiranandani group are frivolous (relating to something which is having no serious, sensible, useful purpose or value and it will also be a waste of time; valueless, insignificant, silly). For instance (उदाहरण के लिए), a question on steel prices or India’s trade relations with Bangladesh is of interest (interesting) to numerous business groups and consumers. The committee said it acknowledged (admit, accept, agree, confess, concede, recognize) the fact that (used to refer to a specific situation under consideration/discussion) several MPs share their login credentials with others, but went on to make a laboured (difficult, tough, formidable; laborious, strained) case that Ms. Moitra had endangered (risk, put at risk, imperil, jeopardize, threaten) national security. The argument that MPs have access to documents on the Parliament portal that are not in the public domain (if something (e.g. information) is in the public domain, people generally know about it since it is no secret) is a stretched (exaggerated, overstated, strained, distorted) one. In fact (actually, really, in reality), there is no good reason to keep draft Bills (A Bill is a draft statute that becomes law after it is passed. All legislative proposals are brought before Parliament in the forms of Bills (or) draft statute/law, proposed legislation, proposal (presented to parliament/congress/council for discussion)) secret. Bill drafts are meant for public circulation (spreading, dissemination, distribution, transmission, passing on) and debate before being brought to Parliament for discussion and voting. That there is very little of that happening these days is a sad commentary (comments, opinions, remarks, reports, analysis) on parliamentary democracy. The report of the Ethics Committee also faced the same fate. The 495 page report was tabled (propose, put forward, submit, bring forward, suggest) and voted on the same day, rejecting the appeal (request, call; plea, entreaty) of Opposition MPs for a more detailed discussion once Members had the time to read it in detail (thoroughly, in depth, minutely, point by point, scrupulously, assiduously, carefully). The precedent that the majority in Parliament can expel (remove, reject, bar, ban, debar, oust, dismiss, throw out, blacklist) an Opposition member on a dubious (suspicious, questionable, doubtful, debatable, ambiguous, unreliable) charge is ominous for parliamentary democracy. The expulsion of Ms. Moitra is a case of justice hurried and buried (lost; laid to rest; hidden, concealed).

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.precedent (noun)

Hindi Meaning - मिसाल, उदाहरण
English Meaning - a past action/event/decision that is seen as an example; previous example, previous instance, prior instance, previous case, example

2.parliamentary democracy (noun)

Hindi Meaning - संसदीय लोकतंत्र
English Meaning - a system of government in which citizens elect representatives to a legislative parliament to make the necessary laws and decisions for the country.

3.hurried (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - जल्दी में
English Meaning - rushed, abrupt, hasty, sudden.

4.Ethics Committee (noun)

Hindi Meaning - आचार समिति
English Meaning - the Ethics Committee, Rajya Sabha, the first such Committee by any legislature in India was constituted by the Chairman, Rajya Sabha on 4 March 1997, to oversee the moral and ethical conduct of the Members and to examine the cases referred to it with reference to ethical and other misconduct of Members. It was provided that in all respects of procedure and other matters, the rules applicable to the Committee of Privileges shall apply to the Ethics Committee.

5.guilty (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - दोषी, अपराधी
English Meaning - at fault, culpable, accountable/responsible for misconduct.

6.breach (noun)

Hindi Meaning - उल्लंघन
English Meaning - contravention, violation, breaking, non-observance.

7.privilege (noun)

Hindi Meaning - विशेषाधिकार
English Meaning - right, prerogative, entitlement, advantage.

8.establish (verb)

Hindi Meaning - स्थापित करना
English Meaning - show, prove, denote, indicate, display, demonstrate, validate.

9.time-bound (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - समयबद्ध
English Meaning - related to a certain moment or era in time.

10.aspect (noun)

Hindi Meaning - पहलू
English Meaning - point, view.

11.nevertheless (adverb)

Hindi Meaning - फिर भी
English Meaning - notwithstanding, nonetheless, even so, after everything, despite that.

12.emphatic (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - ज़ोरदार
English Meaning - certain, clear, decided, firm, determined, assertive, insistent, outright, one hundred per cent, categorical, unequivocal, unambiguous.

13.suggest (verb)

Hindi Meaning - सुझाव देना
English Meaning - indicate, hint, imply, argue (someone to think that (something) exists).

14.interest (noun)

Hindi Meaning - दिलचस्पी
English Meaning - common concerns (in politics/business).

15.for instance (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - उदाहरण के लिए
English Meaning - as an example.

16.expulsion (noun)

English Meaning - the act of forcing someone to leave a place/organization; removal, debarment, dismissal, rejection; banishment, expulsion, deportation, eviction, expatriation.

17.ominous (adjective)

English Meaning - threatening, menacing, forbidding, inauspicious, unfavourable, unpromising, sinister, gloomy, ugly.

18.voice vote (noun)

English Meaning - a voice vote involves the speaker putting a question to the house and then asking the house to put forward its opinion in the forms of ayes (yes) or noes. Based on a rough measure of which side was louder, the speaker decides if the motion was passed or fell through.

19.committee (noun)

English Meaning - commission, council, panel.

20.form and substance (phrase)

English Meaning - it refers to the appearance (form) & essence (substance) of something.

21.substance (noun)

English Meaning - significant subject, important matter/content, valid message.

22.hold (verb)

English Meaning - have (an opinion/a belief); think, believe, feel, deem, reckon.

23.conduct (noun)

English Meaning - behaviour; actions, deeds.

24.contempt (noun)

English Meaning - it refers to the offence of showing disrespect to the dignity or authority; scorn, disrespect, disregard, neglect, abhorrence.

25.charge (noun)

English Meaning - accusation, allegation, indictment.

26.in turn (noun)

English Meaning - because of that: in return.

27.estranged (adjective)

English Meaning - alienated, separated, isolated, deserted, distanced.

28.cite (verb)

English Meaning - mention, refer to, point to, adduce, invoke, turn to, resort to.

29.sting operation (noun)

English Meaning - a deceptive operation which is designed to catch a person committing the crime.

30.credentials (noun)

English Meaning - identity documents, identity papers, references, permit, license.

31.admit (verb)

English Meaning - acknowledge, accept, agree, confess, concede, recognize.

32.concede (verb)

English Meaning - admit, acknowledge, accept, agree, confess, recognize.

33.call for (phrasal verb)

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

34.link (noun)

English Meaning - connection, tie-up, association, relationship.

35.frivolous (adjective)

English Meaning - relating to something which is having no serious, sensible, useful purpose or value and it will also be a waste of time; valueless, insignificant, silly.

36.of interest (phrase)

English Meaning - interesting.

37.acknowledge (verb)

English Meaning - admit, accept, agree, confess, concede, recognize.

38.the fact that (phrase)

English Meaning - used to refer to a specific situation under consideration/discussion.

39.go on to (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - talk at length, carry on talking; continue, proceed, carry on, persist.

40.laboured (adjective)

English Meaning - difficult, tough, formidable; laborious, strained.

41.endanger (verb)

English Meaning - risk, put at risk, imperil, jeopardize, threaten.

42.in the public domain/realm (phrase)

English Meaning - if something (e.g. information) is in the public domain, people generally know about it since it is no secret.

43.stretched (adjective)

English Meaning - exaggerated, overstated, strained, distorted.

44.in fact (phrase)

English Meaning - actually, really, in reality.

45.Bill (noun)

English Meaning - A Bill is a draft statute that becomes law after it is passed. All legislative proposals are brought before Parliament in the forms of Bills (or) draft statute/law, proposed legislation, proposal (presented to parliament/congress/council for discussion).

46.circulation (noun)

English Meaning - spreading, dissemination, distribution, transmission, passing on.

47.commentary (noun)

English Meaning - comments, opinions, remarks, reports, analysis.

48.table (verb)

English Meaning - propose, put forward, submit, bring forward, suggest.

49.appeal (noun)

English Meaning - request, call; plea, entreaty,

50.in detail (phrase)

English Meaning - thoroughly, in depth, minutely, point by point, scrupulously, assiduously, carefully.

51.expel (verb)

English Meaning - remove, reject, bar, ban, debar, oust, dismiss, throw out, blacklist.

52.dubious (noun)

English Meaning - suspicious, questionable, doubtful, debatable, ambiguous, unreliable.

53.buried (adjective)

English Meaning - lost; laid to rest; hidden, concealed.