Defection as merger: On politics, the wave of defections

The Tenth Schedule is hollowed out (खोखला कर देना) by unprincipled (सिद्धांतहीन, अनैतिक) politics

There is something deeply (गहराई से, अत्यधिक) troubling (चिंताजनक, परेशान करने वाला) about the wave (लहर, उफान) of defections (दल-बदल, पार्टी त्याग) sweeping (affect a large number of people or things rapidly and thoroughly; overwhelm, engulf, encompass, spread across) India’s elected representatives (निर्वाचित प्रतिनिधि), Members of Parliament (संसद सदस्य) chief among them. In the latest episode (घटना, प्रकरण), six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs are seeking (try to find or get something or try to do something; aim, attempt) to join the Eknath Shinde faction (गुट) of the Sena, which emerged after an earlier split (विभाजन, अलगाव) in the parent party (the original political party from which a faction or breakaway group has separated; original party, principal organization, founding party). This group constitutes (compose, form, make up, account for) exactly two-thirds of the party’s Lok Sabha (the House of the People, the lower house of India’s bicameral Parliament, with members directly elected by the citizens of India) strength (संख्या बल, सदस्य संख्या), giving them the escape route (a way or method to get out of an unwanted, dangerous, or difficult situation; way out, exit, loophole, evasion) that their crossover (the act of moving from one group or political party to another; defection, crossing the floor, changing sides) will constitute a merger (विलय) under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution (संविधान), or the anti-defection law. Under the Tenth Schedule, a member can be disqualified (अयोग्य घोषित करना) if they voluntarily (of one’s own free will; willingly, naturally, without compulsion) resign (step down, quit, abdicate, renounce) from their party or defy (openly resist or refuse to obey; resist, take a stand against, confront, challenge) a party whip (a written notice or directive provided by a political party to its members in a legislature to vote to support a specific act or policy; directive, mandate, stricture, instruction) during a division (the separation of a legislative house into two groups for the purpose of voting; floor test, formal vote, roll call, head count) of votes in the House (a legislative or deliberative assembly; parliament, legislative assembly, legislative council). In 2003, the law was strengthened (make or become stronger; reinforce, fortify, consolidate, bolster) by an amendment (an alteration or addition to a motion, bill, constitution, etc.; change, modification, revision, alteration) that removed the earlier “split” provision (a specific clause or stipulation contained within a legal document, constitution, or law; clause, condition, stipulation, legal term) — which had allowed one-third of a party’s members to defect (abandon one’s party in favour of an opposing one; desert, change sides, rebel, switch allegiances) without penalty — and retained (continue to have something; preserve, conserve, keep, maintain) only the “merger” exception, under which disqualification (invalidation, rejection, elimination, debarment) does not apply if two-thirds of a party’s legislators (a person who makes laws or a member of a legislative body; lawmaker, elected representative, parliamentarian, MP, MLA) agree to merge with (combine or cause to combine to form a single entity; amalgamate, unify, coalesce, integrate) another party. Engineered splits are now dressed up as mergers, letting groups defect without inviting (cause, bring on, generate, provoke) disqualification. The legal validity (the condition of being legally acceptable and enforceable by law; constitutionality, lawfulness, legitimacy, legality) of such claims (an assertion that something is true; assertion, declaration, profession, statement) is itself contested (oppose, challenge, question, dispute, object to), as the Supreme Court of India has, in a past judgment, made clear that a merger cannot be of the legislature (the legislative body of a country or state; parliament, assembly, law-making body) party alone, and must involve (include, incorporate, encompass, contain) the parent party as well (in addition; too, also).

With the Court holding back judgments on several constitutional (relating to something as per the Constitution; legal, lawful, legitimate, valid) questions related to this, presiding officers (the official in charge of a legislative assembly or polling station; speaker, chairperson, head, moderator) keep waving through such stretched (exaggerated or strained beyond what is reasonable; far-fetched, overextended, unconvincing, questionable) claims — and the practice keeps (continue or cause to continue in a specified condition or course; continue, persist, carry on, maintain) gathering pace. The Sena splintering (the process of breaking into small, separate groups or factions; fragmentation, fracturing, division, breaking up) follows (come after in time or order; come next, happen after, succeed, ensue) close on the heels of (happening very soon after another event; immediately after, soon after, following closely on) the TMC rebellion (opposition to one’s government or authority; defiance, disobedience, dissent, uprising). A rebel (showing a desire to resist authority, control, or convention; defiant, disobedient, nonconformist, dissenting) group claiming the support of 20 of the TMC’s 28 Lok Sabha MPs — led by four-time MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar — has aligned itself with the BJP-led NDA, seeking a merger with another party. In April, AAP MPs in the Rajya Sabha (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) had joined the BJP, reducing AAP’s Rajya Sabha strength from 10 to three. Now, three TMC members of the Rajya Sabha, Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, Sushmita Dev and Prakash Chik Baraik, have resigned. For all practical purposes, the Tenth Schedule has become redundant (not or no longer needed or useful; unnecessary, unneeded, useless, surplus to requirements) and irrelevant (immaterial, unrelated, beside the point, extraneous), as the Court keeps key (of crucial importance; crucial, vital, essential, pivotal) decisions pending. The surge (sudden increase, rise, growth, upswing) in these crossovers, which has the cumulative effect (the overall result of successive additions or accumulations; combined effect, aggregate impact, collective result, knock-on effect) of increasing the strength of the ruling (currently exercising authority or in charge; governing, controlling, commanding, in power) NDA in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, raises questions beyond technicalities (minor detail, formality, strict point of law, loophole). At present (at this time; currently, now, right now, for the time being), the NDA does not have the two-thirds majority in Parliament needed to pass (approve, authorize, ratify, enact) constitutional amendments (a formal change or addition to the existing framework of the Constitution). The threshold (a specified level, point, or limit that must be reached for a certain condition or rule to apply; limit, starting point, minimum requirement) of two-thirds for constitutional amendments is kept high to ensure a wide political consensus (a general agreement; agreement, harmony, concord, unity). Bypassing (go past or around; avoid, circumvent, dodge, sidestep) that intent (intention or purpose; aim, objective, goal, target) through defections — whatever name they go by (to follow or be guided by something; follow, be guided by, observe; to be known or called by) — is an affront (an action or remark that causes outrage or offence; insult, slight, put-down, slap in the face) to representative democracy (a government where citizens elect people to represent them and make laws on their behalf; parliamentary democracy, representative government) and the spirit (the real meaning or the fundamental intentions of a law, rule, or text, as opposed to its strict literal interpretation; true meaning, essence, intention, core principle) of the Constitution.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.defection (noun)

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

2.merger (noun)

Hindi Meaning - विलय
English Meaning - amalgamation, unification, integration, fusion.

3.hollow out (phrasal verb)

Hindi Meaning - खोखला कर देना
English Meaning - to remove the important parts of something so that it is no longer effective; undermine, weaken, deplete, exhaust.

4.unprincipled (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - सिद्धांतहीन, अनैतिक
English Meaning - unethical, immoral, dishonest, fraudulent.

5.deeply (adverb)

Hindi Meaning - गहराई से, अत्यधिक
English Meaning - intensely, greatly, enormously, profoundly.

6.troubling (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - चिंताजनक, परेशान करने वाला
English Meaning - annoying, disconcerting, distressing, disturbing.

7.wave (noun)

Hindi Meaning - लहर, उफान
English Meaning - a sudden occurrence of or increase in a particular phenomenon or behaviour; surge, rush, outbreak, upsurge.

8.elected representative (noun)

Hindi Meaning - निर्वाचित प्रतिनिधि
English Meaning - an individual chosen by the public through an election to act on their behalf in a legislative assembly; lawmaker, public servant, parliamentarian, legislator. M.P, M.L.A.

9.Member of Parliament (noun)

Hindi Meaning - संसद सदस्य
English Meaning - a person formally elected to the national legislative body (Parliament); lawmaker, legislator, elected representative.

10.episode (noun)

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

11.faction (noun)

Hindi Meaning - गुट
English Meaning - a small, organized, dissenting group within a larger one; bloc, camp, group, breakaway group.

12.split (noun)

Hindi Meaning - विभाजन, अलगाव
English Meaning - a division or separation into different parts; division, rupture, rift, break-up.

13.strength (noun)

Hindi Meaning - संख्या बल, सदस्य संख्या
English Meaning - the number of people comprising a group, typically a political party in a legislature; size, number, magnitude.

14.the Constitution (noun)

Hindi Meaning - संविधान
English Meaning - the supreme law of India that establishes the framework, fundamental political code, structure, procedures, powers, and duties of government institutions; supreme law, charter, rule book.

15.disqualify (verb)

Hindi Meaning - अयोग्य घोषित करना
English Meaning - bar, ban, invalidate, declare ineligible.

16.seek (verb)

English Meaning - try to find or get something or try to do something; aim, attempt.

17.constitute (verb)

English Meaning - compose, form, make up, account for.

18.Tenth Schedule (OR) anti-defection law (noun)

English Meaning - a provision in the Constitution of India, inserted by the 52nd Amendment in 1985 to prevent political defections; party-hopping deterrent.

19.sweep (verb)

English Meaning - affect a large number of people or things rapidly and thoroughly; overwhelm, engulf, encompass, spread across.

20.parent party (noun)

English Meaning - the original political party from which a faction or breakaway group has separated; original party, principal organization, founding party.

21.Lok Sabha (noun)

English Meaning - the House of the People, the lower house of India’s bicameral Parliament, with members directly elected by the citizens of India.

22.escape route (noun)

English Meaning - a way or method to get out of an unwanted, dangerous, or difficult situation; way out, exit, loophole, evasion.

23.crossover (noun)

English Meaning - the act of moving from one group or political party to another; defection, crossing the floor, changing sides.

24.voluntarily (adverb)

English Meaning - of one’s own free will; willingly, naturally, without compulsion.

25.resign (verb)

English Meaning - step down, quit, abdicate, renounce.

26.defy (verb)

English Meaning - openly resist or refuse to obey; resist, take a stand against, confront, challenge.

27.whip (noun)

English Meaning - a written notice or directive provided by a political party to its members in a legislature to vote to support a specific act or policy; directive, mandate, stricture, instruction.

28.division (of votes) (noun)

English Meaning - the separation of a legislative house into two groups for the purpose of voting; floor test, formal vote, roll call, head count.

29.House (noun)

English Meaning - a legislative or deliberative assembly; parliament, legislative assembly, legislative council.

30.strengthen (verb)

English Meaning - make or become stronger; reinforce, fortify, consolidate, bolster.

31.amendment (noun)

English Meaning - an alteration or addition to a motion, bill, constitution, etc.; change, modification, revision, alteration.

32.split provision (noun)

English Meaning - an earlier clause in the Tenth Schedule that allowed one-third of a party’s members to form a breakaway faction without facing disqualification.

33.provision (noun)

English Meaning - a specific clause or stipulation contained within a legal document, constitution, or law; clause, condition, stipulation, legal term.

34.defect (verb)

English Meaning - abandon one’s party in favour of an opposing one; desert, change sides, rebel, switch allegiances.

35.retain (verb)

English Meaning - continue to have something; preserve, conserve, keep, maintain.

36.merger exception (noun)

English Meaning - a specific clause in the Tenth Schedule that exempts lawmakers from disqualification if two-thirds of a party’s members agree to merge with another party.

37.disqualification (noun)

English Meaning - invalidation, rejection, elimination, debarment.

38.legislator (noun)

English Meaning - a person who makes laws or a member of a legislative body; lawmaker, elected representative, parliamentarian, MP, MLA.

39.merge with (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - combine or cause to combine to form a single entity; amalgamate, unify, coalesce, integrate.

40.dress up (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - present something in such a way that it appears better than it really is; disguise, camouflage, cover up, embellish.

41.invite (verb)

English Meaning - cause, bring on, generate, provoke.

42.legal validity (noun)

English Meaning - the condition of being legally acceptable and enforceable by law; constitutionality, lawfulness, legitimacy, legality.

43.claim (noun)

English Meaning - an assertion that something is true; assertion, declaration, profession, statement.

44.contest (verb)

English Meaning - oppose, challenge, question, dispute, object to.

45.make clear (phrase)

English Meaning - clarify, elucidate, explain, spell out.

46.legislature (noun)

English Meaning - the legislative body of a country or state; parliament, assembly, law-making body.

47.involve (verb)

English Meaning - include, incorporate, encompass, contain.

48.as well (phrase)

English Meaning - in addition; too, also.

49.hold back (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - prevent, block, thwart, restrain.

50.constitutional (adjective)

English Meaning - relating to something as per the Constitution; legal, lawful, legitimate, valid.

51.presiding officer (noun)

English Meaning - the official in charge of a legislative assembly or polling station; speaker, chairperson, head, moderator.

52.wave through (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - officially approve or allow something to proceed without checking it carefully; rubber-stamp, clear, permit, authorize.

53.stretched (adjective)

English Meaning - exaggerated or strained beyond what is reasonable; far-fetched, overextended, unconvincing, questionable.

54.keep (verb)

English Meaning - continue or cause to continue in a specified condition or course; continue, persist, carry on, maintain.

55.gather pace (phrase)

English Meaning - to start to happen more quickly; speed up, accelerate, gain momentum, pick up.

56.splintering (noun)

English Meaning - the process of breaking into small, separate groups or factions; fragmentation, fracturing, division, breaking up.

57.follow (verb)

English Meaning - come after in time or order; come next, happen after, succeed, ensue.

58.close on the heels of (phrase)

English Meaning - happening very soon after another event; immediately after, soon after, following closely on.

59.rebellion (noun)

English Meaning - opposition to one’s government or authority; defiance, disobedience, dissent, uprising.

60.rebel (adjective)

English Meaning - showing a desire to resist authority, control, or convention; defiant, disobedient, nonconformist, dissenting.

61.align with (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - associate oneself with; join forces with, side with, team up with, ally with.

62.Rajya Sabha (noun)

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.

63.redundant (adjective)

English Meaning - not or no longer needed or useful; unnecessary, unneeded, useless, surplus to requirements.

64.irrelevant (adjective)

English Meaning - immaterial, unrelated, beside the point, extraneous.

65.key (adjective)

English Meaning - of crucial importance; crucial, vital, essential, pivotal.

66.surge (noun)

English Meaning - sudden increase, rise, growth, upswing.

67.cumulative effect (noun)

English Meaning - the overall result of successive additions or accumulations; combined effect, aggregate impact, collective result, knock-on effect.

68.ruling (adjective)

English Meaning - currently exercising authority or in charge; governing, controlling, commanding, in power.

69.raise questions (phrase)

English Meaning - to cause people to doubt or wonder about something; evoke doubts, prompt inquiries, cast doubt, provoke questions.

70.technicality (noun)

English Meaning - minor detail, formality, strict point of law, loophole.

71.at present (phrase)

English Meaning - at this time; currently, now, right now, for the time being.

72.pass (verb)

English Meaning - approve, authorize, ratify, enact.

73.constitutional amendment (noun)

English Meaning - a formal change or addition to the existing framework of the Constitution.

74.threshold (noun)

English Meaning - a specified level, point, or limit that must be reached for a certain condition or rule to apply; limit, starting point, minimum requirement.

75.keep high (phrase)

English Meaning - to maintain at an elevated level; sustain, maintain, uphold, preserve.

76.consensus (noun)

English Meaning - a general agreement; agreement, harmony, concord, unity.

77.bypass (verb)

English Meaning - go past or around; avoid, circumvent, dodge, sidestep.

78.intent (noun)

English Meaning - intention or purpose; aim, objective, goal, target.

79.go by (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - to follow or be guided by something; follow, be guided by, observe; to be known or called by.

80.affront (noun)

English Meaning - an action or remark that causes outrage or offence; insult, slight, put-down, slap in the face.

81.representative democracy (noun)

English Meaning - a government where citizens elect people to represent them and make laws on their behalf; parliamentary democracy, representative government.

82.spirit (noun)

English Meaning - the real meaning or the fundamental intentions of a law, rule, or text, as opposed to its strict literal interpretation; true meaning, essence, intention, core principle.

83.the letter and spirit of (phrase)

English Meaning - adhering to both the literal wording and the true intent or purpose of the law; exact phrasing, true intention, underlying principle, core meaning.