TOPIC OF THE DAY:-“Party and symbol: on ‘Two Leaves’ verdict”
Delhi HC Order On ‘Two Leaves’ Deepens T.T.V. Dhinakaran’s Political Dilemma
The Delhi High Court verdict upholding the allotment of the ‘Two Leaves’ symbol to the AIADMK jointly led by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami and Deputy CM O. Panneerselvam has come as no surprise. The Election Commission’s November 23, 2017 order had ruled in its favour based on the group’s majority in its organisational and legislative wings. The claim of the faction headed by V.K. Sasikala, a confidante of the late Jayalalithaa, and her nephew, T.T.V. Dhinakaran, to the party’s name and symbol weakened after Mr. Palaniswami and Mr. Panneerselvam, who were in rival factions earlier, decided to come together in August 2017. Since then, they have consolidated their position by getting Mr. Dhinakaran’s loyalists among MLAs disqualified and outmanoeuvring him in both the party structure and in court cases. Their unity was forged with the common aim of keeping out Ms. Sasikala, who was briefly elected interimgeneral secretary of the AIADMK after Jayalalithaa’s death in December 2016, and her nephew. The court has ruled that the EC was well within its powers to apply the majority test and allot the symbol to the faction that had more members in the general council and in its complement of MLAs and MPs. The court did not entertain arguments that the Commission should have ruled against the Panneerselvam-Palaniswami faction because it had changed the party’s basic structure by abolishing the post of general secretary; and the contention that the Commission’s order was vitiated by malice because it granted additional opportunities for filing affidavits, after which many reneged on their earlier statements on which group they belonged to.
The Dhinakaran faction has decided to appeal in the Supreme Court against the order that has set back his political fortunes. At the same time, it wants a common symbol to contest elections. Mr. Dhinakaran himself won a by-election to the Assembly from the RK Nagar constituency as an independent with the ‘pressure cooker’ symbol. He may have to register his party, the AmmaMakkalMunnetraKazhagam (AMMK), with the EC to get a common symbol. Ever since he began running a faction in the absence of Sasikala, who is serving a four-year prison term, he has been trying to make the best of bad situations. He spent months in a Delhi prison himself on anallegation that he attempted to bribe an unknown EC official to get the party symbol. His political survival has so far hinged on tactically preserving a dual identity: running a party on the one hand, and keeping his group’s claim to the AIADMK’s identity alive through court cases. It is clear he isseeking to preserve his claim until the mainstream leadership is defeated in an election, in the hope that a majority of the party’s primary members will rally behind him. The coming general elections and as many as 21 Assembly by-elections will be an acid test of his political survival.
MEANINGS AND WORDS
1) verdict
Meaning : a decision on an issue of fact in a civil or criminal case or an inquest(n).
Synonyms : award
Antonyms : accusation
Example : “the jury returned a verdict of not guilty”
2) upholding
Meaning : confirm or support (something which has been questioned)(v).
Synonyms : confirm
Antonyms : attack
Example : “the court upheld his claim for damages”
3) confidante
Meaning : a person with whom one shares a secret or private matter, trusting them not to repeat it to others(n).
Synonyms : companion
Antonyms : foe
Example : “a close confidante of the princess”
4) consolidated
Meaning : make (something) physically stronger or more solid(v).
Synonyms : centralize
Antonyms : discourage
Example : “the first phase of the project is to consolidate the outside walls”
5) interim
Meaning : the intervening time(n).
Synonyms : provisional
Antonyms : finished
Example : “in the interim I’ll just keep my fingers crossed”
6) complement
Meaning : a thing that contributes extra features to something else in such a way as to improve or emphasize its quality.(n)
Synonyms : addition
Antonyms : base
Example : “local ales provide the perfect complement to fine food”
7) faction
Meaning : a small organized dissenting group within a larger one, especially in politics(n).
Synonyms : sect
Antonyms : whole
Example : “the left-wing faction of the party”
8) contention
Meaning : an assertion, especially one maintained in argument.
Synonyms : conflict
Antonyms : agreement
Example : “Freud’s contention that all dreams were wish fulfilment”
9) vitiated
Meaning : spoil or impair the quality or efficiency of(v).
Synonyms : annihilate
Antonyms : allow
Example : “development programmes have been vitiated by the rise in population”
10) reneged
Meaning : go back on a promise, undertaking, or contract(v).
Synonyms : default
Antonyms : promise
Example : “the government had reneged on its election promises”
11) fortunes
Meaning : chance or luck as an arbitrary force affecting human affairs(n).
Synonyms : affluence
Antonyms : debt
Example : “some malicious act of fortune keeps them separate”
12) contest
Meaning : engage in competition to attain (a position of power)(v).
Synonyms : discussion
Antonyms : agreement
Example : “she declared her intention to contest the presidency”
13) constituency
Meaning : a group of voters in a specified area who elect a representative to a legislative body(n).
Synonyms : precinct
Antonyms : trader
Example : “most politicians are more interested in the voice of their constituency”
14) allegation
Meaning : a claim or assertion that someone has done something illegal or wrong, typically one made without proof(n).
Synonyms : charge
Antonyms : exculpation
Example : “he made allegations of corruption against the administration”
15) hinged
Meaning : attached or joined with a hinge.
Synonyms : depend
Example : “a pocket watch with a hinged lid”
16) tactically
Meaning : in a way that relates to actions carefully planned to gain a specific end(adv).
Synonyms : diplomatic
Antonyms : impoliticly
Example : “the community remained firm and the government tactically retreated”
17) seeking
Meaning : attempt to find (something)(v).
Synonyms : searching
Example : “they came here to seek shelter from biting winter winds”
