Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Dangers of divisiveness: On the electoral rhetoric, from the top level

Dangers of divisiveness: On the electoral rhetoric, from the top level

Pitting citizens of the North against southern parties is a hazardous (खतरनाक) ploy (चाल)

With polling over in 379 of the 543 constituencies after the fourth phase in the general election, the electoral campaigns (अभियान) of parties have reached closer to the end point. Deep into the campaign calendar, though, the disconnect (a lack of connection; interruption, detachment, separation, disjoint, disunion) between the concerns of the electorate (मतदाता वर्ग) and campaign rhetoric (बयानबाजी) — especially that of BJP lynchpin (आधार) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi — remains, unfortunately, intact (not influenced; not swayed; undamaged, unspoiled, unimpaired, untouched). While job creation, inflation (मुद्रास्फीति) and development (विकास) have been emphasised (जोर देना) by voters as primary issues, Mr. Modi refuses to be driven (प्रेरित करना) by the idea of contesting mainly on his government’s record over 10 years of rule and focusing on measures (उपाय) to ameliorate (improve, make better, raise, advance, upgrade, enhance) the main concerns. Instead, he seeks to do what he has always revelled in (enjoy, delight in, take pleasure in, relish, rejoice, savour, bask in) — attacking the Opposition with truths, half-truths (lie, falsehood, fake news), and non sequiturs (a statement or comment that does not follow naturally or logically from what has been said earlier). Mr. Modi’s recourse (सहारा) to this is also helped by the shrill noise (शोर) of television and social media being a useful tool to distract from concerns with the rhetoric that he has used, be it hate speech (घृणा भाषण) against Muslims or dog whistles (political messaging employing coded language that appears to mean one thing to the general population but has an additional, different or more specific resonance for a targeted subgroup) to rev up (become more active, make someone or something more active; accelerate, speed up, increase the speed (of an engine/motor/something similar) quickly) support from Hindutva adherents (believer, brethren, follower, loyal follower, faithful). Other parties, including the Congress and its public face (a person who represents an organization to the public), Rahul Gandhi, are also — even if not to the same extent (level) — guilty (at fault, culpable, accountable/responsible for misconduct) of raking up identity (a social category, a set of persons marked by a label and distinguished by rules deciding membership and (alleged) characteristic features or attributes; individuality, character, originality) issues such as those related to caste politics. But Mr. Modi and some of his colleagues have taken vituperation (bitter language and abusive language; criticism, condemnation, castigation, blame, vilification) as a campaigning device to new levels. In his rally (partner) in Jaunpur, he accused the Opposition in Uttar Pradesh, the SP and the Congress, of silence when their southern allies used “absurd (foolish, silly, stupid, illogical, senseless, unreasonable, ridiculous) and abusive (insulting, derogatory, disparaging, belittling, disrespectful, offensive, insulative, defamatory, abusive, libellous, pejorative) language” for the people of U.P. and “sanatana dharma”.

Some of the northern parties in the INDIA bloc (alliance, coalition, group) have publicly (in public) disagreed with DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin’s comments on “sanatana dharma” while emphasising their stances (stand, point of view, viewpoint, opinion, position) on social justice (the equal access to wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society) and taking on the issue of caste hierarchy (pecking order, ranking, class system; arrangement, classification). There is more that unites the politics of federalism and social justice espoused (adapt (an idea or a belief or a cause); embrace, accept, support, back, welcome, take up, promote, favour, defend) by these parties than what divides them — questions related to linguistic (relating to language; lingual) nationalism (it refers to a system (with narrow set of ideas) created by a group of people who believe their nation is superior to all others. It is also a perception of national superiority and an orientation toward national dominance- called as chauvinism (excessive nationalism)) such as the need for English as a link language — but that is to be expected from coalitions (alliance, association, union, partnership) made up of different political parties. Mr. Modi should focus on the differences (dissimilarity, differentiation, variance, variation) in emphasis (importance, significance, priority) on how to tackle socio-economic (relating to the interaction of social (position, rank, or importance)and economic (income, pay, and wealth) aspects) issues between the BJP and the INDIA bloc. But, instead, his use of half-truths as a weapon to rile (irritate, annoy, bother, upset, irk, anger) the Hindi heartland (the most important part of a field of activity; the central part of something) against southern parties is problematic, at a time when there is greater north-south economic integration (the unification of economic policies between different states, through the partial or full abolition of tariff and non-tariff restrictions on trade), with working class citizens from the north migrating to the south for employment. Recently, the BJP inducted (appoint to, admit to, allow into, allow into, introduce) Manish Kashyap, a YouTube content creator who had been jailed in Tamil Nadu for spreading false news about Bihari migrants (a person who moves from one region to another - either within a country or across national borders in order to find work or better living conditions) being attacked in the State. Such actions could foment (incite, provoke, agitate, instigate, cause) divisive (alienating/isolating, disharmonious, discordant) politics that does not help the Indian nation as a whole (considered as a group; all things included/considered; altogether).

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.divisiveness (noun)

Hindi Meaning - विभाजन
English Meaning - division, animosity, discord/hostility; clash, conflict.

2.rhetoric (noun)

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

3.hazardous (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - खतरनाक
English Meaning - risky, perilous, dangerous, precarious, unsafe, high-risk.

4.ploy (noun)

Hindi Meaning - चाल
English Meaning - (cunning) plan, scheme, tactic/trick.

5.campaign (noun)

Hindi Meaning - अभियान
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.

6.electorate (noun)

Hindi Meaning - मतदाता वर्ग
English Meaning - all the people who entitled to vote in an election.

7.lynchpin (noun)

Hindi Meaning - आधार
English Meaning - most important, main, focal, central (person/thing).

8.inflation (noun)

Hindi Meaning - मुद्रास्फीति
English Meaning - increase of price level of goods & services & vice versa decrease of currency value.

9.development (noun)

Hindi Meaning - विकास
English Meaning - progress, progression, advancement, improvement, growth.

10.emphasise (verb)

Hindi Meaning - जोर देना
English Meaning - highlight, underscore, underline, stress, call/draw attention to.

11.drive (verb)

Hindi Meaning - प्रेरित करना
English Meaning - impel, urge, force, compel, pressure, prompt.

12.measure (noun)

Hindi Meaning - उपाय
English Meaning - action, step, procedure.

13.recourse (noun)

Hindi Meaning - सहारा
English Meaning - option, choice, resort, way out.

14.noise (noun)

Hindi Meaning - शोर
English Meaning - sound, clamour, uproar, babble, commotion.

15.hate speech (noun)

Hindi Meaning - घृणा भाषण
English Meaning - abusive or disrespectful speech.

16.pit against (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - to cause someone to fight or compete against another person.

17.disconnect (noun)

English Meaning - a lack of connection; interruption, detachment, separation, disjoint, disunion.

18.intact (adjective)

English Meaning - not influenced; not swayed; undamaged, unspoiled, unimpaired, untouched.

19.ameliorate (verb)

English Meaning - improve, make better, raise, advance, upgrade, enhance.

20.revel in (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - enjoy, delight in, take pleasure in, relish, rejoice, savour, bask in.

21.half-truth (noun)

English Meaning - lie, falsehood, fake news.

22.sequitur (noun)

English Meaning - a logical conclusion of facts; a logical consequence of facts

23.non sequitur (noun)

English Meaning - a statement or comment that does not follow naturally or logically from what has been said earlier.

24.shrill (adjective)

English Meaning - high pitched, acute, sharp, high.

25.dog whistle (noun)

English Meaning - political messaging employing coded language that appears to mean one thing to the general population but has an additional, different or more specific resonance for a targeted subgroup.

26.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.

27.adherent (noun)

English Meaning - believer, brethren, follower, loyal follower, faithful.

28.public face (noun)

English Meaning - a person who represents an organization to the public.

29.extent (noun)

English Meaning - level.

30.guilty (adjective)

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

31.rake up (phrasal verb)

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

32.identity (noun)

English Meaning - a social category, a set of persons marked by a label and distinguished by rules deciding membership and (alleged) characteristic features or attributes; individuality, character, originality.

33.vituperation (noun)

English Meaning - bitter language and abusive language; criticism, condemnation, castigation, blame, vilification.

34.ally (noun)

English Meaning - partner.

35.absurd (adjective)

English Meaning - foolish, silly, stupid, illogical, senseless, unreasonable, ridiculous.

36.abusive (adjective)

English Meaning - insulting, derogatory, disparaging, belittling, disrespectful, offensive, insulative, defamatory, abusive, libellous, pejorative.

37.bloc (noun)

English Meaning - alliance, coalition, group.

38.publicly (adverb)

English Meaning - in public.

39.stance (noun)

English Meaning - stand, point of view, viewpoint, opinion, position.

40.social justice (noun)

English Meaning - the equal access to wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society.

41.take on (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - compete against, oppose, challenge, confront, face.

42.hierarchy (noun)

English Meaning - pecking order, ranking, class system; arrangement, classification.

43.federalism/federal framework/system (noun)

English Meaning - a system of government in which establishments such as states or provinces share power with a national government.

44.espouse (verb)

English Meaning - adapt (an idea or a belief or a cause); embrace, accept, support, back, welcome, take up, promote, favour, defend.

45.linguistic (adjective)

English Meaning - relating to language; lingual.

46.nationalism (noun)

English Meaning - it refers to a system (with narrow set of ideas) created by a group of people who believe their nation is superior to all others. It is also a perception of national superiority and an orientation toward national dominance- called as chauvinism (excessive nationalism).

47.coalition (noun)

English Meaning - alliance, association, union, partnership.

48.make up of (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - comprise, include, incorporate, encompass.

49.difference (noun)

English Meaning - dissimilarity, differentiation, variance, variation

50.emphasis (noun)

English Meaning - importance, significance, priority.

51.socio-economic (noun)

English Meaning - relating to the interaction of social (position, rank, or importance)and economic (income, pay, and wealth) aspects.

52.rile (verb)

English Meaning - irritate, annoy, bother, upset, irk, anger.

53.heartland (noun)

English Meaning - the most important part of a field of activity; the central part of something.

54.integration (noun)

English Meaning - the unification of economic policies between different states, through the partial or full abolition of tariff and non-tariff restrictions on trade.

55.induct (verb)

English Meaning - appoint to, admit to, allow into, allow into, introduce.

56.migrant (noun)

English Meaning - a person who moves from one region to another - either within a country or across national borders in order to find work or better living conditions.

57.foment (verb)

English Meaning - incite, provoke, agitate, instigate, cause.

58.divisive (adjective)

English Meaning - alienating/isolating, disharmonious, discordant.

59.as a whole (phrase)

English Meaning - considered as a group; all things included/considered; altogether.