PARAGRAPH AND WORDS
Smart secularism :-
His temple visits, from this perspective, are not ‘soft Hindutva’ but ‘smart secularism’ — one that acknowledges the religious identity of the majority without lapsing into majoritarianism or compromising on the constitutional rights of the minority. This is a tricky tightrope walk, and it remains to be seen how well he keeps his balance. While it is debatable how many extra votes it garnered, one indication of its efficacy was the panic it caused in the BJP ranks. The Congress’s performance in Gujarat has given Mr. Gandhi what he has lacked so far: credibility as a helmsman, which is kind of hard to establish when you have inherited your position at the helm. Second, it has demonstrated that the Congress can take the BJP head-on and win. This rise in the party’s ‘winnability quotient’ would put it on a stronger footing when negotiating alliances. It would also draw back into its fold the minorities in other States who traditionally vote for the strongest secular party. All said and done, by forcefully pitchinga politics of love in opposition to a politics of fear, Mr. Gandhi may have just hit upon the nucleus of an alternative narrative that the Congress has been searching for. Their future of Indian democracy may well be decided by a fierce battle between fear and love, fought in the hearts and minds of the Indian voter.
1) Lapsing
Meaning: pass gradually into (an inferior state or condition).
Example: “the country has lapsed into chaos”
Synonyms: Deteriorate, Decline
Antonyms: Improve, Strengthen
2) Tightrope
Meaning: A tightly stretched wire or rope fixed high above the ground, across which skilled people walk, especially in order to entertain others.
Example: One of the acrobats who walked the tightrope at the circus did it blindfolded.
3) Pitching
Meaning: Set up and fix in position; throw roughly or casually.
Example: “we pitched camp for the night”
Synonyms: Erect, Raise
4) Fierce
Meaning: Having or displaying a violent or ferocious aggressiveness; showing a heartfelt and powerful intensity.
Example: “fierce fighting continued throughout the day”
Synonyms: Ferocious, Savage
Antonyms: Gentle, Tame
