PARAGRAPH,WORDS AND MEANINGS

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Topic Of The Day:-“Foggy In Wayanad: On Rahul’s Decision To Contest From Kerala”

RAHUL GANDHI’S DECISION TO CONTEST FROM KERALA OPENS UP FAULT-LINES IN THE ANTI-BJP FRONT

Rahul Gandhi’s decision to choose Wayanad in Kerala, in addition to Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, tocontest, could well be a defining moment in this election. Though Wayanad was under consideration for at least two weeks, the decision was nonetheless surprising as his principal opponent would be, not his national-level ideological rival the BJP, but a party of the Left, which is in the forefront of the fight for a secular alternative to the ruling formation. This paradox could turn out to be a central challenge in the emergence of a national coalition against the BJP because many parties that are opposed to the BJP are also opposed to one another. Mr. Gandhi’s gambitamplifies that contradiction and marks a rupture between the Congress and the Left Front — fierce opponents in Kerala, but natural partners at the Centre. The national leadership of the Congress had kept an arm’s length from the highly competitive politics in Kerala, where its State unit and the Left are face to face. The exigencies of national politics shape their cooperation elsewhere. Only recently, on Mr. Gandhi’s watch, the Congress was in seat-sharing talks with the Left in West Bengal. Though the Congress has said Mr. Gandhi’s candidature is not against the Left, the latter has been brutal in its reaction. The Congress claimed the foray signalled Mr. Gandhi’s commitment to all regions. But the choice of Kerala, rather than Karnataka, where the Congress is locked in a direct battle with the BJP, is difficult to explain. If the Left frontally attacked the Congress, the BJP was disparaging. Amit Shah remarked Mr. Gandhi feared he would be held accountable by Amethi’s voters; and Narendra Modi, in a statement with communal overtones, said Mr. Gandhi chose the seat because Hindus were in a minority there.

By fielding Mr. Gandhi from Wayanad, the Congress has taken a view that considerations of alliances are now secondary to its push to maximise its individual tally. The Congress has strong alliances in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Bihar but a shaky one in Karnataka. Its U.P. ambitions were rejected by the SP-BSP axis; and differences persist within the party on aligning with the AAP in Delhi. After the 2004 elections, the Congress became the fulcrum of a national coalition, which was bound by a broad commitment to a pluralist India, as opposed to Hindutva’sexclusivist and majoritarian politics. The Left had a significant role in its formation but ended the experiment in 2008 over differences with the Congress on the nuclear deal. State-level compulsions have led regional parties to cross from the BJP to the Congress and vice versa, but the primary fault-line is political mobilisation along religious lines. Without clarity of concept on addressing this fault-line, there can be no effective cooperation among non-BJP parties. Though it is unfair to put the entire onus of aggregating non-BJP politics on Mr. Gandhi, his candidacy in Wayanad can do nothing for the larger secular cause.

MEANINGS AND WORDS

1) coalition

Meaning : a temporary alliance for combined action, especially of political parties forming a government.

Synonyms : alliance

Antonyms : detachment

Example : “a coalition between Liberals and Conservatives”

2) gambit

Meaning : an act or remark that is calculated to gain an advantage, especially at the outset of a situation(n).

Synonyms : design

Antonyms : frankness

Example : “his resignation was a tactical gambit”

3) contradiction

Meaning : a combination of statements, ideas, or features which are opposed to one another(n).

Synonyms : conflict

Antonyms : accord

Example : “the proposed new system suffers from a set of internal contradictions”

4) rupture

Meaning : (especially of a pipe or container, or bodily part such as an organ or membrane) break or burst suddenly.

Synonyms : breach

Antonyms : closure

Example : “if the main artery ruptures he could die”

5) brutal

Meaning : direct and without attempting to disguise unpleasantness(adj).

Synonyms : barbarous

Antonyms : calm

Example : “the brutal honesty of his observations”

6) claimed

Meaning : state or assert that something is the case, typically without providing evidence or proof(v).

Synonyms : assert

Antonyms : desert

Example : “the Prime Minister claimed that he was concerned about Third World debt”

7) persist

Meaning : continue in an opinion or course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition.

Synonyms : endure

Antonyms : cease

Example : “the minority of drivers who persist in drinking”

8) contest

Meaning : an event in which people compete for supremacy in a sport or other activity, or in a quality(n).

Synonyms : trial

Antonyms : agreement

Example : “a tennis contest”

9) aggregating

Meaning : collect (related items of content) so as to display or link to them(v).

Synonyms : accumulate

Antonyms : detach

Example : “tools that aggregate data from all of the security devices are a good first step”