Hindi English Translation || Editorial || ​Gang of seven: On the AAP defections

​Gang of seven: On the AAP defections

Large-scale (व्यापक, बड़े पैमाने पर) defections (दलबदल, पक्ष-त्याग) have rendered (बना देना, परिवर्तित कर देना) the Tenth Schedule impotent

On April 24, seven of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)’s 10 Rajya Sabha (राज्यसभा) members announced their merger (विलय, एकीकरण) with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Rajya Sabha Chairman (अध्यक्ष, सभापति) has accepted their claim (दावा, अभिकथन) of merger, raising the BJP’s strength in the Upper House to 113 and the combined strength of the National Democratic Alliance above the halfway mark (सीमा, स्तर) for the first time. The episode (घटना, प्रकरण) highlights (उजागर करना, प्रमुखता) the nature (प्रकृति, स्वरूप) of AAP, the crass (असभ्य, असंवेदनशील) opportunism (अवसरवादिता) of the turncoats (दलबदलू), the machinations of the BJP, and the institutionalised defanging (to make something harmless or ineffective; disarm, disable, weaken, emasculate) of the anti-defection law (enshrined in the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution of India, this legislation seeks to prevent political instability by penalizing lawmakers who switch parties after elections). Of the seven, Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak and Swati Maliwal were part of AAP in an organic (developing naturally or characterized by a fundamental, inherent connection; natural, intrinsic, fundamental, structural) manner, to the limited extent (to a certain degree, partly, somewhat, marginally) that it had an identity (the distinct character or personality of a political group; distinctiveness, uniqueness, character, individuality) beyond the whims (a sudden desire or change of mind, especially one that is unusual or unexplained; impulse, urge, caprice, fancy) of its founder, Arvind Kejriwal. For the other four, their exit is as opportunistic (exploiting chances offered by immediate circumstances without reference to a general plan or moral principle; expedient, self-seeking, calculating, manipulative) as their entries into AAP were. Mr. Kejriwal used to taunt (to provoke or challenge someone with insulting remarks; mock, ridicule, jeer at, tease) the Congress for losing its legislators (a person who makes laws as a member of a legislative body; lawmaker, representative, parliamentarian, elected official) to the BJP in several States, as symptomatic (serving as a sign or indication of a particular condition; indicative, characteristic, representative, suggestive) of the erosion (the gradual destruction or reduction of something; deterioration, decline, weakening, wearing away) of its ethical (relating to moral principles or the branch of knowledge dealing with these; moral, principled, righteous, honorable) responsibility. But a relentless (oppressively constant or unyielding; persistent, continuous, unabated, non-stop) campaign of anarchy (a state of disorder due to absence or nonrecognition of authority; lawlessness, chaos, turmoil, unruliness) in pursuit of power exposed (to make something visible or reveal its true nature; reveal, uncover, unmask, lay bare) the true character (the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual or group (used contextually as character); nature, essence, disposition) of AAP as a far cry (a thing that is very different from something else; contrast, opposite, deviation, departure) from its grand claims (a major or ambitious assertion that is often difficult to justify; boast, tall claim, exaggeration, overstatement). The disintegration (the process of losing cohesion or strength; collapse, breakdown, fragmentation, dissolution) of its Rajya Sabha contingent (a group of people representing a larger organization or sharing a common feature; delegation, deputation, group, faction) is the culmination (the highest or climactic point of something, especially as attained after a long time; climax, peak, pinnacle, conclusion) of the cynicism (an inclination to believe that people are motivated purely by self-interest; skepticism, doubt, distrust, disillusionment) and opportunism (the practice of taking advantage of circumstances for personal gain; expediency, pragmatism, exploitation, self-interest) on which AAP thrived (to prosper or flourish as the result of a particular situation; flourish, prosper, grow vigorously, boom), imposing a heavy cost (the effort, loss, or sacrifice necessary to achieve or obtain something; price, penalty, toll, consequence) on the democratic institutions (established entities and structures that support a democratic system; democratic bodies, constitutional organizations, pillars of democracy, state apparatus) of India. It reaped (to receive a reward or benefit as a consequence of one’s own or others’ actions; harvest, gain, obtain, realize) what it sowed.

That is no reason to ignore the brazen (bold and without shame; shameless, unashamed, blatant, flagrant) misinterpretation — invoked (to cite or appeal to a law, rule, or authority as a justification for an action; cite, refer to, adduce, use) by the gang of seven and accepted by the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha — of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution (the foundational legal document of a state; supreme law, governing framework, fundamental principles, charter), which bars (to forbid or officially prevent someone from doing something; prohibit, forbid, ban, exclude) the defection of elected representatives (an individual chosen by the public through an election to act on their behalf in a legislative assembly; lawmaker, public servant, parliamentarian) from their original party. The merger exception (a person or thing that is excluded from a general statement or does not follow a rule; anomaly, irregularity, deviation, exemption) in the Schedule (an appendix or supplementary annexure attached to a primary constitutional or legal document detailing specific rules or lists; appendix, annexure, addendum, list) is clear that a party can merge with another, subject to (conditionally dependent on something else happening; dependent on, conditional upon, contingent on, governed by) the concurrence (the fact of two or more events or circumstances happening or existing at the same time, or agreement/consent; agreement, approval, consent, assent) of two-thirds of its legislators (a person authorized to make or enact laws; lawmaker, elected representative, parliamentarian, elected official). In 2023, the Supreme Court of India elaborated (to add more detail concerning what has already been said; explain, expound, clarify, spell out) that the legislature (the deliberative assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity; lawmaking body, parliament, assembly, senate) party cannot dictate (to state or order authoritatively; prescribe, determine, lay down, command) the course (the direction or route taken by an event or process; direction, path, trajectory, policy) of the political party, and the two cannot be conflated (to combine two or more texts, ideas, or entities into one; combine, merge, mix together, fuse). Two-thirds of the members of the legislature party of the original party must accept a merger for it to be valid under the anti-defection law. To turn this around and argue that two-thirds of a party’s legislative members (an individual who holds a seat in a lawmaking assembly; lawmaker, legislator, elected representative, elected official) can cross over (to leave one group or political party and join an opposing one; defect, change sides, switch allegiance, desert) to another party without attracting (to bring a particular reaction or consequence upon oneself; incur, draw, bring upon oneself, elicit) disqualification is a stretch (an assertion that goes beyond the limits of truth or credibility; exaggeration, overstatement, embellishment), and is being challenged (to dispute the truth or validity of something; contest, dispute, question, object to) in the Court by AAP. The Court’s past interventions (the action or process of intervening in a situation to alter the outcome; involvement, intercession, mediation, arbitration) on similar developments (an unfolding event; turn of events; event, occurrence, incident, happening) are less than reassuring, sadly. Elected governments have been unseated (to remove a government or person from a position of power; depose, topple, oust, overthrow) on the back of large-scale defections, rendering the Tenth Schedule impotent in the recent past. That the Court could not set any deterrence (the action of discouraging an action or event through instilling doubt or fear of the consequences; prevention, disincentive, discouragement, deterrent) to this open betrayal (the action of violating a person’s or entity’s trust; treachery, disloyalty, double-crossing, treason) of popular (held by or representing the general public; widespread, general, public, collective) mandates is borne out (proven to be true or justified; confirmed, verified, supported, substantiated) by the fact that (the certainty or reality of a particular situation; the reality that, the truth that, the certainty that) such acts are being repeated with impunity (exemption from punishment or freedom from the injurious consequences of an action; immunity, exemption, freedom from punishment, license).

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.gang (noun)

Hindi Meaning - गिरोह, दल
English Meaning - a group of individuals associating for a particular purpose, often perceived negatively; band, cohort, clique, faction.

2.defection (noun)

Hindi Meaning - दलबदल, पक्ष-त्याग
English Meaning - the act of abandoning one’s political party to join an opposing one; desertion, apostasy, switching sides, decamping.

3.large-scale (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - व्यापक, बड़े पैमाने पर
English Meaning - involving a significant number or vast extent; extensive, widespread, sweeping.

4.render (verb)

Hindi Meaning - बना देना, परिवर्तित कर देना
English Meaning - to cause someone or something to be in a particular state; cause to become, make, leave, turn into, become.

5.Rajya Sabha (or) Upper House (noun)

Hindi Meaning - राज्यसभा
English Meaning - the Council of States, which acts as the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of India, comprising members elected by state legislatures to represent states and union territories.

6.merger (noun)

Hindi Meaning - विलय, एकीकरण
English Meaning - the combination of two or more political entities into a single one; amalgamation, unification, integration, fusion.

7.Chairman (noun)

Hindi Meaning - अध्यक्ष, सभापति
English Meaning - the presiding officer of the Rajya Sabha, a role fulfilled ex-officio by the Vice President of India, responsible for interpreting rules and adjudicating disqualification petitions.

8.claim (noun)

Hindi Meaning - दावा, अभिकथन
English Meaning - an assertion that something is true, typically one that is disputed; declaration, contention, affirmation.

9.mark (noun)

Hindi Meaning - सीमा, स्तर
English Meaning - a target, milestone, or specified level; point, stage, threshold, measure.

10.episode (noun)

Hindi Meaning - घटना, प्रकरण
English Meaning - incident, occurrence, event, affair.

11.highlight (verb)

Hindi Meaning - उजागर करना, प्रमुखता
English Meaning - to draw special attention to a particular issue; emphasize, underscore, underline, illuminate.

12.nature (noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्रकृति, स्वरूप
English Meaning - the basic or inherent features of something; character, essence, disposition.

13.crass (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - असभ्य, असंवेदनशील
English Meaning - lacking sensitivity, refinement, or intelligence; insensitive, mindless, blatant, gross, out-and-out, thoughtless, pig-ignorant.

14.opportunism (noun)

Hindi Meaning - अवसरवादिता
English Meaning - the practice of taking advantage of circumstances for personal or political gain regardless of principles; expediency, pragmatism, exploitation, opportuneness.

15.turncoat (noun)

Hindi Meaning - दलबदलू
English Meaning - a person who deserts one party or cause in order to join an opposing one; traitor, defector, deserter, renegade.

16.machination (noun)

English Meaning - a plot or scheme designed to achieve a sinister end; scheming, plotting, intrigue, conspiracy.

17.Tenth Schedule of the Constitution of India (noun)

English Meaning - a constitutional provision added by the 52nd Amendment in 1985 that lays down the process by which legislators may be disqualified on the grounds of defection by the Presiding Officer of a legislature.

18.impotent (adjective)

English Meaning - unable to take effective action; powerless, ineffective, weak, toothless.

19.institutionalised (adjective)

English Meaning - established as a standard norm or accepted convention within an organization; systemic, ingrained, entrenched, formalized.

20.defang (verb)

English Meaning - to make something harmless or ineffective; disarm, disable, weaken, emasculate.

21.the anti-defection law (noun)

English Meaning - enshrined in the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution of India, this legislation seeks to prevent political instability by penalizing lawmakers who switch parties after elections.

22.organic (adjective)

English Meaning - developing naturally or characterized by a fundamental, inherent connection; natural, intrinsic, fundamental, structural.

23.to the limited extent (phrase)

English Meaning - to a certain degree, partly, somewhat, marginally.

24.identity (noun)

English Meaning - the distinct character or personality of a political group; distinctiveness, uniqueness, character, individuality.

25.whim (noun)

English Meaning - a sudden desire or change of mind, especially one that is unusual or unexplained; impulse, urge, caprice, fancy.

26.opportunistic (adjective)

English Meaning - exploiting chances offered by immediate circumstances without reference to a general plan or moral principle; expedient, self-seeking, calculating, manipulative.

27.taunt (verb)

English Meaning - to provoke or challenge someone with insulting remarks; mock, ridicule, jeer at, tease.

28.legislator (noun)

English Meaning - a person who makes laws as a member of a legislative body; lawmaker, representative, parliamentarian, elected official.

29.symptomatic (adjective)

English Meaning - serving as a sign or indication of a particular condition; indicative, characteristic, representative, suggestive.

30.erosion (noun)

English Meaning - the gradual destruction or reduction of something; deterioration, decline, weakening, wearing away.

31.ethical (adjective)

English Meaning - relating to moral principles or the branch of knowledge dealing with these; moral, principled, righteous, honorable.

32.responsibility (noun)

English Meaning - duty, obligation, accountability, burden.

33.relentless (adjective)

English Meaning - oppressively constant or unyielding; persistent, continuous, unabated, non-stop.

34.campaign (noun)

English Meaning - an organized course of action to achieve a particular political goal; crusade, drive, movement, push.

35.anarchy (noun)

English Meaning - a state of disorder due to absence or nonrecognition of authority; lawlessness, chaos, turmoil, unruliness.

36.in pursuit of (phrase)

English Meaning - the action of seeking or striving to attain something; seeking, searching for, aiming at, chasing.

37.expose (verb)

English Meaning - to make something visible or reveal its true nature; reveal, uncover, unmask, lay bare.

38.character (noun)

English Meaning - the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual or group (used contextually as character); nature, essence, disposition.

39.far cry (noun)

English Meaning - a thing that is very different from something else; contrast, opposite, deviation, departure.

40.grand claim (noun)

English Meaning - a major or ambitious assertion that is often difficult to justify; boast, tall claim, exaggeration, overstatement.

41.disintegration (noun)

English Meaning - the process of losing cohesion or strength; collapse, breakdown, fragmentation, dissolution.

42.contingent (noun)

English Meaning - a group of people representing a larger organization or sharing a common feature; delegation, deputation, group, faction.

43.culmination (noun)

English Meaning - the highest or climactic point of something, especially as attained after a long time; climax, peak, pinnacle, conclusion.

44.cynicism (noun)

English Meaning - an inclination to believe that people are motivated purely by self-interest; skepticism, doubt, distrust, disillusionment.

45.opportunism (noun)

English Meaning - the practice of taking advantage of circumstances for personal gain; expediency, pragmatism, exploitation, self-interest.

46.thrive (verb)

English Meaning - to prosper or flourish as the result of a particular situation; flourish, prosper, grow vigorously, boom.

47.impose (verb)

English Meaning - to force an unwelcome decision, ruling, or burden on someone; force, inflict, apply, dictate.

48.cost (noun)

English Meaning - the effort, loss, or sacrifice necessary to achieve or obtain something; price, penalty, toll, consequence.

49.democratic institutions (noun)

English Meaning - established entities and structures that support a democratic system; democratic bodies, constitutional organizations, pillars of democracy, state apparatus.

50.reap (verb)

English Meaning - to receive a reward or benefit as a consequence of one’s own or others’ actions; harvest, gain, obtain, realize.

51.sow (verb)

English Meaning - to initiate or plant the seeds of an action that will have future consequences; plant, trigger, initiate, set in motion.

52.brazen (adjective)

English Meaning - bold and without shame; shameless, unashamed, blatant, flagrant.

53.misinterpretation (noun)

English Meaning - the action of interpreting something wrongly; misunderstanding, distortion, false reading, misconception.

54.invoke (verb)

English Meaning - to cite or appeal to a law, rule, or authority as a justification for an action; cite, refer to, adduce, use.

55.the Constitution of India (noun)

English Meaning - the supreme law of India that lays down the foundational political code, structure, procedures, powers, and duties of government institutions and sets out fundamental rights.

56.constitution (noun)

English Meaning - the foundational legal document of a state; supreme law, governing framework, fundamental principles, charter.

57.bar (verb)

English Meaning - to forbid or officially prevent someone from doing something; prohibit, forbid, ban, exclude.

58.elected representative (noun)

English Meaning - an individual chosen by the public through an election to act on their behalf in a legislative assembly; lawmaker, public servant, parliamentarian.

59.exception (noun)

English Meaning - a person or thing that is excluded from a general statement or does not follow a rule; anomaly, irregularity, deviation, exemption.

60.Schedule (noun)

English Meaning - an appendix or supplementary annexure attached to a primary constitutional or legal document detailing specific rules or lists; appendix, annexure, addendum, list.

61.subject to (phrase)

English Meaning - conditionally dependent on something else happening; dependent on, conditional upon, contingent on, governed by.

62.concurrence (noun)

English Meaning - the fact of two or more events or circumstances happening or existing at the same time, or agreement/consent; agreement, approval, consent, assent.

63.legislator (noun)

English Meaning - a person authorized to make or enact laws; lawmaker, elected representative, parliamentarian, elected official.

64.elaborate (verb)

English Meaning - to add more detail concerning what has already been said; explain, expound, clarify, spell out.

65.legislature (noun)

English Meaning - the deliberative assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity; lawmaking body, parliament, assembly, senate.

66.dictate (verb)

English Meaning - to state or order authoritatively; prescribe, determine, lay down, command.

67.course (noun)

English Meaning - the direction or route taken by an event or process; direction, path, trajectory, policy.

68.conflate (verb)

English Meaning - to combine two or more texts, ideas, or entities into one; combine, merge, mix together, fuse.

69.turn something around (phrase)

English Meaning - to reverse a situation or spin a specific argument in an opposing direction; reverse, invert, spin, manipulate.

70.legislative member (noun)

English Meaning - an individual who holds a seat in a lawmaking assembly; lawmaker, legislator, elected representative, elected official.

71.cross over (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - to leave one group or political party and join an opposing one; defect, change sides, switch allegiance, desert.

72.attract (verb)

English Meaning - to bring a particular reaction or consequence upon oneself; incur, draw, bring upon oneself, elicit.

73.disqualification (noun)

English Meaning - the act of declaring someone ineligible to hold an office or position due to a violation of rules; elimination, rejection, invalidation, exclusion.

74.stretch (noun)

English Meaning - an assertion that goes beyond the limits of truth or credibility; exaggeration, overstatement, embellishment.

75.challenge (verb)

English Meaning - to dispute the truth or validity of something; contest, dispute, question, object to.

76.intervention (noun)

English Meaning - the action or process of intervening in a situation to alter the outcome; involvement, intercession, mediation, arbitration.

77.development (noun)

English Meaning - an unfolding event; turn of events; event, occurrence, incident, happening.

78.less than (phrase)

English Meaning - used to express a negative meaning, implying the opposite; far from, not at all, nowhere near, lacking.

79.reassuring (adjective)

English Meaning - serving to remove doubt or fear; comforting, encouraging, heartening, soothing.

80.unseat (verb)

English Meaning - to remove a government or person from a position of power; depose, topple, oust, overthrow.

81.on the back of (phrase)

English Meaning - as a consequence of or immediately following an event; as a result of, following, because of, in the wake of.

82.deterrence (noun)

English Meaning - the action of discouraging an action or event through instilling doubt or fear of the consequences; prevention, disincentive, discouragement, deterrent.

83.open (adjective)

English Meaning - blatant, flagrant, transparent, overt.

84.betrayal (noun)

English Meaning - the action of violating a person’s or entity’s trust; treachery, disloyalty, double-crossing, treason.

85.popular (adjective)

English Meaning - held by or representing the general public; widespread, general, public, collective.

86.mandate (noun)

English Meaning - the authority to carry out a policy or course of action, given by the electorate; authority, approval, instruction, endorsement.

87.borne out (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - proven to be true or justified; confirmed, verified, supported, substantiated.

88.the fact that (phrase)

English Meaning - the certainty or reality of a particular situation; the reality that, the truth that, the certainty that.

89.impunity (noun)

English Meaning - exemption from punishment or freedom from the injurious consequences of an action; immunity, exemption, freedom from punishment, license.