Hindi English Translation || Editorial || On the right path: On the announcement of elections in Jammu and Kashmir

On the right path: On the announcement of elections in Jammu and Kashmir

Elections, as a first step, will address the yearning (तड़प, इच्छा, लालसा) for substantive (महत्वपूर्ण, सार्थक, ठोस) democracy in J&K

With the Election Commission of India (ECI) announcing the dates for elections in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) — in three phases between September 18 and October 1 — a major lacuna (कमी, अंतराल) in the conduct (संचालन, प्रबंधन) of democracy (लोकतंत्र, जनतंत्र) in the province has been addressed (tackle, deal with, attend to, try to sort out). The absence of an elected and functioning State legislature (विधानमंडल), along with the abrogation of special status and the bifurcation (विभाजन, दो भागों में बंटना) of the erstwhile (पूर्व, पहले का, भूतपूर्व) State, followed by J&K’s diminution (curtailment, decline, reduction, decrease, restriction/limitation (in the importance of something)) into a Union Territory (UT) had resulted in significant despondency (निराशा, हताशा, उदासी) and alienation (अलगाव, विमुखता) among the people. The absence of a legislature to express concerns and the muzzling (दबाना, रोकना) of dissent (असहमति) by arresting students, journalists, lawyers among other civil society (नागरिक समाज) representatives (प्रतिनिधि, प्रवक्ता) under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (गैरकानूनी गतिविधियां (रोकथाम) अधिनियम) and the Public Safety Act (The Public Safety Act (PSA) , 1978, of Jammu & Kashmir is an administrative detention law that allows detention of any individual for up to two years without a trial or charge. The Public Safety Act allows for the arrest and detention of people without a warrant, specific charges, and often for an unspecified period of time) have been recipes (likely cause of, source of; means/ways (of ensuring something)) for furthering (promote, advance, assist, facilitate, expedite, accelerate, speed up) the alienation. In its judgment that upheld the abrogation of special status — a flawed (inaccurate, incorrect, erroneous, imprecise, fallacious, wrong, defective) one — the Supreme Court had also ordered that elections to the Legislative Assembly (Assembly/Vidhan Sabha; a legislative body in the states and union territories of India) had to be held by September 30, 2024, besides (apart from, other than, barring, excluding) expressing its opinion on the need to restore (bring back, reinstitute, reinstall, re-establish, revive) statehood (the condition of being an independent country/state) as soon as possible. The ECI has done well to heed (pay attention to, take into account, consider, listen to, pay regard to) the first directive (order, ruling, command, instruction, direction, decree). The absence of an elected legislature has meant that the people have lacked (be without, be in need of, require, want) a voice (an expressed opinion, view, feeling) to articulate (express, voice, communicate, convey, talk of, mention) their concerns even as they have yearned (desire, wish, long, crave, want, dream of, fancy, be bent on, be desirous) for their rights of electoral participation (involvement, engagement). This is evident in the participation levels in the local body and parliamentary elections since 2019 — the numbers were much higher than in earlier elections, especially in the Valley (a low area between hills or mountains typically with a river running through it).

In the last-held Assembly elections nearly a decade (a period of ten years) ago, the mandate (approval, acceptance, endorsement, authority (given by a constituency to someone acting as its representative)) was split on communal lines (direction, course, way) with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) winning nearly all of the seats that it contested in Jammu, and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the National Conference (NC) and the Congress winning most of the seats in the Valley. Much water has flowed down the Jhelum after the formation of the coalition government between the PDP and the BJP, an unnatural alliance (coalition, association, union, partnership) that was doomed (destine, fate, ordain, be sure, be certain, be cursed, be ill-fated) to fail. The NC and Congress had fought the 2024 general election as part of the INDIA bloc (alliance, coalition, association, union, group) and there is the likelihood (chance, possibility, probability) of an alliance between these parties and smaller ones in these elections. The need for like-minded (agreeing, united, compatible, harmonious) parties, that agree on changing the status quo (the present situation, the current state, the existing state of affairs) in the UT by bringing back statehood and promoting secular (non-religious, worldly, earthly) governance, to come together, is promising not only for electoral tactical purposes. It is an imperative (necessary condition, precondition, condition, essential requirement) in order to (so as to, with the aim of, with the intention of, in the hope of) ensure that the discourse (discussion, conversation, communication, expression) in the province, which has been beset (to have too many problems/troubles; trouble, bother, afflict, worry, anguish, harass, embarrass (persistently)) with fresh waves of terrorism in Jammu and south Kashmir, is not communalised (to make something into a communal issue). An election that is contested on civic (local, public, regional) issues and rights discourses, rather than (instead of) on communal lines, would help bring back peace to India’s northernmost province.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.yearning (noun)

Hindi Meaning - तड़प, इच्छा, लालसा
English Meaning - desire, wish, appetite, inclination, eagerness, craving, longing.

2.substantive (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - महत्वपूर्ण, सार्थक, ठोस
English Meaning - important, significant, considerable.

3.democracy (noun)

Hindi Meaning - लोकतंत्र, जनतंत्र
English Meaning - a system of government in which power is vested in the people, who rule either directly or through fairly & freely elected representatives.

4.lacuna (noun)

Hindi Meaning - कमी, अंतराल
English Meaning - a gap/empty space; missing part of something.

5.conduct (noun)

Hindi Meaning - संचालन, प्रबंधन
English Meaning - handling, carrying out, controlling, organization, management; way of acting, behaviour.

6.legislature (noun)

Hindi Meaning - विधानमंडल
English Meaning - law-making body or governing body; parliament, congress, council, assembly.

7.bifurcation (noun)

Hindi Meaning - विभाजन, दो भागों में बंटना
English Meaning - division of something into two branches or parts.

8.erstwhile (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - पूर्व, पहले का, भूतपूर्व
English Meaning - old, previous, former.

9.despondency (noun)

Hindi Meaning - निराशा, हताशा, उदासी
English Meaning - dejection, discouragement, hopelessness/despair.

10.alienation (noun)

Hindi Meaning - अलगाव, विमुखता
English Meaning - isolation, estrangement, separation, disaffection, turning away, hostility.

11.muzzle (verb)

Hindi Meaning - दबाना, रोकना
English Meaning - suppress, stifle, stop, muffle, silence.

12.dissent (noun)

Hindi Meaning - असहमति
English Meaning - opposition, objection, disapproval, disagreement, difference of opinion.

13.civil society (noun)

Hindi Meaning - नागरिक समाज
English Meaning - civil society refers to space for collective action around shared interests, purposes, and values, generally distinct from government and commercial for-profit actors. It refers to a wide array of organizations: community groups, non-governmental organizations [NGOs], labour unions, indigenous groups, charitable organizations, faith-based organizations, professional associations, and foundations. Civil society – sometimes called the “third sector” (after government and commerce) – has the power to influence the actions of elected policy-makers and businesses.

14.representative (noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्रतिनिधि, प्रवक्ता
English Meaning - official, functionary, spokesperson, agent.

15.Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) (noun)

Hindi Meaning - गैरकानूनी गतिविधियां (रोकथाम) अधिनियम
English Meaning - an Indian law aimed at effective prevention of unlawful activities associations in India. Its main objective was to make powers available for dealing with activities directed against the integrity and sovereignty of India.

16.Public Safety Act (PSA) (noun)

English Meaning - The Public Safety Act (PSA) , 1978, of Jammu & Kashmir is an administrative detention law that allows detention of any individual for up to two years without a trial or charge. The Public Safety Act allows for the arrest and detention of people without a warrant, specific charges, and often for an unspecified period of time.

17.province (noun)

English Meaning - a part of a country that has its own government; territory, region, area, state,

18.abrogation (noun)

English Meaning - abolition, repeal, cancellation (of a law/agreement).

19.diminution (noun)

English Meaning - curtailment, decline, reduction, decrease, restriction/limitation (in the importance of something).

20.result in (verb)

English Meaning - cause, lead to, bring about, produce, give rise to, bring on.

21.recipe (noun)

English Meaning - likely cause of, source of; means/ways (of ensuring something).

22.further (verb)

English Meaning - promote, advance, assist, facilitate, expedite, accelerate, speed up.

23.upheld past participle of uphold (verb)

English Meaning - confirm, endorse/approve, vindicate/validate.

24.flawed (adjective)

English Meaning - inaccurate, incorrect, erroneous, imprecise, fallacious, wrong, defective.

25.Legislative Assembly (noun)

English Meaning - Assembly/Vidhan Sabha; a legislative body in the states and union territories of India.

26.held past participle of hold (verb)

English Meaning - conduct, organize, arrange.

27.besides (preposition)

English Meaning - apart from, other than, barring, excluding.

28.restore (verb)

English Meaning - bring back, reinstitute, reinstall, re-establish, revive.

29.statehood (noun)

English Meaning - the condition of being an independent country/state.

30.heed (verb)

English Meaning - pay attention to, take into account, consider, listen to, pay regard to.

31.directive (noun)

English Meaning - order, ruling, command, instruction, direction, decree.

32.lack (verb)

English Meaning - be without, be in need of, require, want.

33.voice (noun)

English Meaning - an expressed opinion, view, feeling.

34.articulate (verb)

English Meaning - express, voice, communicate, convey, talk of, mention.

35.yearn (verb)

English Meaning - desire, wish, long, crave, want, dream of, fancy, be bent on, be desirous.

36.participation (noun)

English Meaning - involvement, engagement.

37.Valley (noun)

English Meaning - a low area between hills or mountains typically with a river running through it.

38.decade (noun)

English Meaning - a period of ten years.

39.mandate (noun)

English Meaning - approval, acceptance, endorsement, authority (given by a constituency to someone acting as its representative).

40.line (noun)

English Meaning - direction, course, way.

41.much water has flowed down the Thames/bridge (phrase)

English Meaning - used to refer to events/situations that are in the past and therefore no longer to be considered as significant or as a cause of worry; it’s past and all forgotten.

42.alliance (noun)

English Meaning - coalition, association, union, partnership.

43.doom (verb)

English Meaning - destine, fate, ordain, be sure, be certain, be cursed, be ill-fated.

44.bloc (noun)

English Meaning - alliance, coalition, association, union, group.

45.likelihood (noun)

English Meaning - chance, possibility, probability.

46.like-minded (adjective)

English Meaning - agreeing, united, compatible, harmonious.

47.status quo (noun)

English Meaning - the present situation, the current state, the existing state of affairs.