Split wide open: On the AIADMK, Tamil Nadu politics

The AIADMK seems (प्रतीत होना, लगना) set (तैयार, तत्पर) on the path of self-destruction (आत्म-विनाश)

It is no surprise that (इसमें कोई आश्चर्य नहीं कि) the AIADMK, the principal (मुख्य, प्रमुख) Opposition party (विपक्षी दल, विपक्ष पार्टी) in the previous Tamil Nadu Assembly, is heading towards a split (विभाजन, अलगाव), having faced (सामना करना, झेलना) a second successive (लगातार, क्रमिक) setback (झटका, असफलता) in the recent Assembly (विधानसभा, विधायिका) election, apart from (के अलावा, को छोड़कर) several defeats in parliamentary (संसदीय, संसद संबंधी) elections. As of now (फिलहाल, अभी तक), the 47 MLAs from the Dravidian major (an important or highly prominent political party; major player, powerhouse) are divided over their support for the leadership of General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami, who was until recently (हाल तक, कुछ समय पहले तक) the Leader of Opposition (the politician who leads the official opposition in the legislature). On Monday, the two groups made written submissions (a formal document or written statement presented to an authority for a ruling; written plea, official statement, formal declaration) to Pro-tem (appointed to occupy a position temporarily; temporary, provisional, interim, acting) Speaker (the presiding officer of a legislative assembly; chairperson, presiding member, house leader) M.V. Karuppiah regarding (in respect of or concerning; about, with respect to, with reference to, in relation to) their claims (a formal request or assertion of a right to something; assertion, declaration, profession, statement). Though there is no clarity on the strength (the number of people comprising a group, typically denoting majority support; number, numerical advantage, majority) of the two factions (a smaller, organized, dissenting group within a larger one; group, section, camp, splinter group), the dissident group (a group that strongly disagrees with and opposes the established leadership; rebel group, breakaway faction, nonconformist wing), led by former Ministers C.Ve. Shanmugam and S.P. Velumani, appears to enjoy the support of more legislators (a person who makes laws as an elected member of a legislative body; lawmaker, representative, elected official, MLA). This group has announced its decision to support the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government; Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, by visiting the office of Mr. Shanmugam and meeting him and his colleagues (fellow worker, associate, co-worker, partner) on Tuesday, has indicated where his sympathies (feelings of support, agreement, or loyalty to a person or cause; support, favor, alignment, backing) lie (to exist, reside, or be found in a particular place or situation; exist, reside, be present, sit). This appears to be part of Mr. Vijay’s political outreach (the extent or length of an organization’s involvement and engagement with people; engagement, connection, involvement, communication), as he has met DMK chief M.K. Stalin and several other leaders in the past two days. It carries political significance (importance, consequence, relevance, magnitude), as the Chief Minister is due to (because of, owing to, as a result of, on account of) move (to formally propose a motion or application to a presiding officer; formally request, propose, submit, petition) a trust vote (a legislative process to prove that the government or a leader enjoys the majority support in the house; vote of confidence, floor test, majority test) in the House (the legislative assembly or chamber where lawmakers meet; legislative assembly, parliament, legislative body, chamber) on Wednesday.

Unlike previous occasions (instance, time, moment, occurrence) when the AIADMK publicly (in a manner that is visible or known to the public; openly, in public, transparently, prominently) announced the election of its legislature (the deliberative body of elected persons empowered to make or change laws; lawmaking body, assembly, parliament, house) party leader and other functionaries (a person who performs official functions or duties within a political party; official, office-bearer, administrator, representative), there has been no official announcement this time. However, the Palaniswami camp (faction, group, wing, coterie) claims that at a May 9 meeting, all 47 legislators gave written consent (permission or agreement for something to happen; agreement, approval, permission, assent) to the effect that (used to indicate the general meaning or implication of something; implying that, meaning that, suggesting that, indicating that) the former Chief Minister is the AIADMK legislature party’s leader. It also cites (quote, refer to, point to, adduce as evidence) the Supreme Court verdict in the Shiv Sena case (May 2023), which held that “the political party, and not the legislature party, appoints the Whip (an official appointed by a political party to maintain discipline among its elected members in the legislature, ensure their attendance, and regulate their voting behaviour; party disciplinarian, floor manager, enforcer, party manager) and the Leader in the House”. As Mr. Palaniswami is also the general secretary, his supporters argue that there is no need to take cognisance of (to take official notice of or consider formally; notice, attend to, take into account, acknowledge) the other faction’s office-bearer (a person who holds an official position in an organization or political party; official, functionary, officer, administrator) announcements, given (taking into account or considering a specific factor; considering, taking into account, bearing in mind, in view of) that he has appointed his nominee (candidate, appointee, choice, delegate) as the legislature party whip. The Palaniswami group also appears to be preparing to move the Speaker for disqualification (elimination, barring, exclusion, invalidation) of rebel (dissenting, insubordinate, nonconformist, mutinous) legislators under paragraph 2(1)(b) of the 1985 anti-defection law (a constitutional provision in the Tenth Schedule stating that an elected member can be disqualified for voting or abstaining contrary to their party’s whip without prior permission), in case the dissidents (a person who opposes the official policy or leadership of their political party; dissenter, objector, protester, rebel) violate (breach, break, contravene, disobey) the whip by voting against the government. One option for the Shanmugam-Velumani faction is to merge with the TVK if it secures (to succeed in obtaining or achieving something; obtain, acquire, gain, achieve) the support of 32 legislators, similar to how seven AAP MPs in the Rajya Sabha (out of a total of 10 MPs) recently quit and merged (join, amalgamate, unite, combine) with the BJP — which was approved by the Vice President and the Rajya Sabha Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan. In the case of (in the matter of or in relation to someone or something; regarding, with respect to, as for, concerning) the AIADMK, Assembly Speaker J.C.D. Prabhakar may soon have to draw on (to use information or resources to help do something; make use of, rely on, utilize, exploit) his experience and legal advice to assess (evaluate, judge, gauge, determine) the merits (the intrinsic rights and wrongs of a case, distinct from legal technicalities; value, worth, validity, rightness) of the two groups’ claims. Whatever he decides, the churn (a state of significant political or institutional agitation and upheaval; turmoil, unrest, disruption, agitation) in Tamil Nadu politics is likely (probable, expected, possible, anticipated) to continue for some time.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.split (noun)

Hindi Meaning - विभाजन, अलगाव
English Meaning - division within a political party or group; separation, break-up, rift, schism.

2.seem (verb)

Hindi Meaning - प्रतीत होना, लगना
English Meaning - appear, look, sound.

3.set (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - तैयार, तत्पर
English Meaning - ready and positioned to do something; prepared, poised, likely, positioned.

4.self-destruction (noun)

Hindi Meaning - आत्म-विनाश
English Meaning - the act of causing one’s own downfall or ruin; ruin, self-harm, self-sabotage, collapse.

5.It is no surprise that (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - इसमें कोई आश्चर्य नहीं कि
English Meaning - as expected, predictably, unsurprisingly, naturally.

6.principal (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - मुख्य, प्रमुख
English Meaning - main, primary.

7.Opposition party (noun)

Hindi Meaning - विपक्षी दल, विपक्ष पार्टी
English Meaning - the political party that holds the second-largest number of seats in a legislature and opposes the ruling government; adversary, opponent.

8.Assembly (noun)

Hindi Meaning - विधानसभा, विधायिका
English Meaning - a body of elected representatives who make laws for a state; legislature, legislative body, parliament, lower house.

9.face (verb)

Hindi Meaning - सामना करना, झेलना
English Meaning - to encounter or have to deal with a difficult situation; confront, experience, tackle, endure.

10.successive (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - लगातार, क्रमिक
English Meaning - consecutive, continuous, sequential, unbroken.

11.setback (noun)

Hindi Meaning - झटका, असफलता
English Meaning - problem, difficulty, hitch, blow.

12.apart from (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - के अलावा, को छोड़कर
English Meaning - in addition to or as well as; besides, except for, other than, excluding.

13.parliamentary (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - संसदीय, संसद संबंधी
English Meaning - relating to the laws, members, or proceedings of a parliament; legislative, lawmaking, governmental.

14.as of now (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - फिलहाल, अभी तक
English Meaning - at the present time; currently, at present, at the moment, for the time being.

15.until recently (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - हाल तक, कुछ समय पहले तक
English Meaning - up to a short time ago; lately, previously, not long ago.

16.major (noun)

English Meaning - an important or highly prominent political party; major player, powerhouse.

17.head towards (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - to move or proceed in a particular direction; move towards, go towards, proceed towards, aim for.

18.the Leader of Opposition (noun)

English Meaning - the politician who leads the official opposition in the legislature.

19.split wide open (phrase)

English Meaning - to experience a complete, severe, and highly public division into opposing factions; completely fractured, deeply divided, entirely broken apart, visibly severed.

20.on the path of (phrase)

English Meaning - heading in a certain direction or towards a specific outcome; moving towards, proceeding towards, tending toward.

21.Dravidian (adjective)

English Meaning - relating to the socio-political movements and regional parties of South India, specifically Tamil Nadu; regional, southern.

22.divide over (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - to have a disagreement that splits people into opposing groups; disagree about, split over, differ on, clash over.

23.written submission (noun)

English Meaning - a formal document or written statement presented to an authority for a ruling; written plea, official statement, formal declaration.

24.Pro-tem (adjective)

English Meaning - appointed to occupy a position temporarily; temporary, provisional, interim, acting.

25.Speaker (noun)

English Meaning - the presiding officer of a legislative assembly; chairperson, presiding member, house leader.

26.regarding (preposition)

English Meaning - in respect of or concerning; about, with respect to, with reference to, in relation to.

27.claim (noun)

English Meaning - a formal request or assertion of a right to something; assertion, declaration, profession, statement.

28.strength (noun)

English Meaning - the number of people comprising a group, typically denoting majority support; number, numerical advantage, majority.

29.faction (noun)

English Meaning - a smaller, organized, dissenting group within a larger one; group, section, camp, splinter group.

30.dissident group (noun)

English Meaning - a group that strongly disagrees with and opposes the established leadership; rebel group, breakaway faction, nonconformist wing.

31.legislator (noun)

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

32.colleague (noun)

English Meaning - fellow worker, associate, co-worker, partner.

33.sympathies (noun)

English Meaning - feelings of support, agreement, or loyalty to a person or cause; support, favor, alignment, backing.

34.lie (verb)

English Meaning - to exist, reside, or be found in a particular place or situation; exist, reside, be present, sit.

35.outreach (noun)

English Meaning - the extent or length of an organization’s involvement and engagement with people; engagement, connection, involvement, communication.

36.significance (noun)

English Meaning - importance, consequence, relevance, magnitude.

37.due to (phrase)

English Meaning - because of, owing to, as a result of, on account of.

38.move (verb)

English Meaning - to formally propose a motion or application to a presiding officer; formally request, propose, submit, petition.

39.trust vote (noun)

English Meaning - a legislative process to prove that the government or a leader enjoys the majority support in the house; vote of confidence, floor test, majority test.

40.the House (noun)

English Meaning - the legislative assembly or chamber where lawmakers meet; legislative assembly, parliament, legislative body, chamber.

41.occasion (noun)

English Meaning - instance, time, moment, occurrence.

42.publicly (adverb)

English Meaning - in a manner that is visible or known to the public; openly, in public, transparently, prominently.

43.legislature (noun)

English Meaning - the deliberative body of elected persons empowered to make or change laws; lawmaking body, assembly, parliament, house.

44.functionary (noun)

English Meaning - a person who performs official functions or duties within a political party; official, office-bearer, administrator, representative.

45.camp (noun)

English Meaning - faction, group, wing, coterie.

46.consent (noun)

English Meaning - permission or agreement for something to happen; agreement, approval, permission, assent.

47.to the effect that (phrase)

English Meaning - used to indicate the general meaning or implication of something; implying that, meaning that, suggesting that, indicating that.

48.cite (verb)

English Meaning - quote, refer to, point to, adduce as evidence.

49.the Shiv Sena case finding/verdict (May 2023) (proper noun)

English Meaning - It is a landmark Constitution Bench verdict by the Supreme Court of India ruling that the political party, not its legislative wing, holds the exclusive authority to appoint the Chief Whip and the Leader of the House, while also establishing that a Governor cannot use a floor test to resolve intra-party disputes.

50.hold (verb)

English Meaning - formally rule, decide, or establish by a court of law; rule, decide, declare, judge.

51.Whip (noun)

English Meaning - an official appointed by a political party to maintain discipline among its elected members in the legislature, ensure their attendance, and regulate their voting behaviour; party disciplinarian, floor manager, enforcer, party manager.

52.take cognisance of (phrase)

English Meaning - to take official notice of or consider formally; notice, attend to, take into account, acknowledge.

53.office-bearer (noun)

English Meaning - a person who holds an official position in an organization or political party; official, functionary, officer, administrator.

54.given (preposition)

English Meaning - taking into account or considering a specific factor; considering, taking into account, bearing in mind, in view of.

55.nominee (noun)

English Meaning - candidate, appointee, choice, delegate.

56.disqualification (noun)

English Meaning - elimination, barring, exclusion, invalidation.

57.rebel (adjective)

English Meaning - dissenting, insubordinate, nonconformist, mutinous.

58.paragraph 2(1)(b) of the 1985 anti-defection law (noun)

English Meaning - a constitutional provision in the Tenth Schedule stating that an elected member can be disqualified for voting or abstaining contrary to their party’s whip without prior permission.

59.anti-defection law (noun)

English Meaning - the Tenth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, enacted in 1985, which penalizes lawmakers who defect from their original political party; anti-party-hopping law, defection prevention act.

60.in case (phrase)

English Meaning - in the event that, if, if it happens that, assuming.

61.dissident (noun)

English Meaning - a person who opposes the official policy or leadership of their political party; dissenter, objector, protester, rebel.

62.violate (verb)

English Meaning - breach, break, contravene, disobey.

63.merge (verb)

English Meaning - join, amalgamate, unite, combine.

64.secure (verb)

English Meaning - to succeed in obtaining or achieving something; obtain, acquire, gain, achieve.

65.In the case of (phrase)

English Meaning - in the matter of or in relation to someone or something; regarding, with respect to, as for, concerning.