“Talaq In J&K: On PDP-BJP Split”
A marriage of convenience ends the moment a divorce becomes more convenient. In Jammu and Kashmir, the post-poll coalition of the two polar opposites, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the People’s Democratic Party, was never meant to coalesce into a credible pre-poll alliance. But while the PDP would have been willing to wait till the Assembly election in 2020 before breaking ties, the BJP had its compulsions for pulling out of the alliance before the Lok Sabha election next year. Both parties feed off the denominational divide, the BJP depending on the Hindu vote bank in Jammu and the PDP on the Muslim vote bank in Kashmir. Neither party’s campaign rhetoric would have appealed to the other’s support base. The divorce was thus foretold from the beginning: what was left to be decided was the most opportune moment for separation. For the BJP, the controversy over the support extended by two of its Ministers to the accused in the Kathua rape-and-murder case would have signalled that the alliance was no longer sustainable. A majority of its supporters in the Jammu region were opposed to the case being pursued to its logical conclusion. But outside of Jammu, the BJP knew it could not be seen as extending support to the accused. The withdrawal of the two Ministers from the J&K Cabinet did not go down well with the BJP’s rank and file, which was beginning to feel the PDP was getting the better of the bargain. But breaking ties on the Kathua issue would have sent all the wrong signals to the rest of the country, which was horrified at the brutal nature of the crime. So, the BJP chose to wait. The differences over whether or not to extend the cessation of operations against the militants announced for the Ramzan month provided a fresh opportunity. While the PDP wanted the cessation of operations to continue so that it could serve as a launch pad to talk with separatists about a political solution, the BJP saw it as no more than a respite from stone-pelting in the Valley. In any case, with the Hurriyat showing absolutely no inclination to talk, and the militants targeting civilians and Army personnel in a continuing spiral of violence, there were arguments to the effect that it was futile to extend the stay on Army operations. Given how the numbers stack up in the J&K Assembly, an alternative government without the BJP will need the PDP, the National Conference and the Congress to come together — a possibility that is, to understate the point, somewhat remote. The PDP and the NC are political rivals in the Valley, fighting for the same political constituency. A coalition would be fraught with political risks for both. The 2014 verdict was a fractured mandate, one that reflected the fragmented polity of a State torn asunder by violence. Another election may not guarantee political stability, but it remains the only way to test the popular will of the people in this roiled State.
WORSD AND MEANINGS –
1) Convenience
Meaning: The state of being able to proceed with something without difficulty.
Example: “Services should be run to suit the convenience of customers, not of staff”
Synonyms: Benefit, Use.
2) Coalition
Meaning: A temporary alliance for combined action, especially of political parties forming a government.
Example: “A coalition between Liberals and Conservatives”
Synonyms: Alliance, Union.
3) Coalesce
Meaning: Come together to form one mass or whole.
Example: “The puddles had coalesced into shallow streams”
Synonyms: Unite, Join together.
4) Pulling out
Meaning: Withdraw from an undertaking.
Example: “He was forced to pull out of the championship because of an injury”
Synonyms: Withdraw, Resign.
5) Feed off
Meaning: To increase because of something, or to use something to succeed or get advantages.
Example: “Fascism feeds off poverty. Using and misusing”
6) Rhetoric
Meaning: Language designed to have a persuasive or impressive effect, but which is often regarded as lacking in sincerity or meaningful content.
Example: “All we have from the Opposition is empty rhetoric”
Synonyms: Bombast, Loftiness.
7) Appealed
Meaning: Make a serious, urgent, or heartfelt request.
Example: “Police are appealing for information about the incident”
Synonyms: Ask urgently/earnestly, Request urgently/earnestly.
8) Foretold
Meaning: Predict (the future or a future event).
Example: “A seer had foretold that the earl would assume the throne”
Synonyms: Predict, Forecast.
9) Opportune
Meaning: (Of a time) especially convenient or appropriate for a particular action or event.
Example: “He couldn’t have arrived at a less opportune moment”
Synonyms: Auspicious, Propitious.
10) Controversy
Meaning: Prolonged public disagreement or heated discussion.
Example: “The design of the building has caused controversy”
Synonyms: Disagreement, Dispute.
11) Accused
Meaning: A person or group of people who are charged with or on trial for a crime.
Example: “The accused was ordered to stand trial on a number of charges”
12) Pursued
Meaning: Follow or chase (someone or something).
Example: “The officer pursued the van”
Synonyms: Go after, Run after.
13) Bargain
Meaning: An agreement between two or more people or groups as to what each will do for the other.
Example: “Bargains between political parties supporting the government”
Synonyms: Agreement, Arrangement.
14) Horrified
Meaning: Fill with horror; shock greatly.
Example: “They were horrified by the very idea”
Synonyms: Frighten, Scare.
15) Brutal
Meaning: Savagely violent.
Example: “A brutal murder”
Synonyms: Savage, Cruel.
16) Cessation
Meaning: The fact or process of ending or being brought to an end.
Example: “The cessation of hostilities”
Synonyms: End, Ending.
17) Respite
Meaning: A short period of rest or relief from something difficult or unpleasant.
Example: “The refugee encampments will provide some respite from the suffering”
Synonyms: Rest, Break.
18) Stone-pelting
Meaning: Pelting is defined as throwing something at or bombarding someone with something. When you are throwing rocks at a building, this is an example of a time when you are pelting the building with rocks.
Example: When you keep bombarding someone with questions, this is an example of a time when you are pelting him with questions.
19) Fraught
Meaning: (Of a situation or course of action) filled with (something undesirable).
Example: “Marketing any new product is fraught with danger”
Synonyms: Full of, Filled with.
20) Verdict
Meaning: A decision on an issue of fact in a civil or criminal case or an inquest.
Example: “The jury returned a verdict of not guilty”
Synonyms: Judgement, Adjudication.
21) Mandate
Meaning: An official order or commission to do something.
Example: “A mandate to seek the release of political prisoners”
Synonyms: Instruction, Directive.
22) Fragmented
Meaning: Break or cause to break into fragments.
Example: “Lough Erne fragmented into a series of lakes”
Synonyms: Break up, Break.
23) Torn
Meaning: Be in a state of uncertainty between two conflicting options or parties.
Example: “He was torn between his duty and his better instincts”
Synonyms: Torment, Torture.
24) Asunder
Meaning: Apart.
Example: “Those whom God hath joined together let no man put asunder”
Synonyms: Apart, up, In two.
25) Roiled
Meaning: To cause something to stop working in the usual or expected way.
Example: “Fears about Japan roiled world financial markets last week”
