Topic Of The Day:-Untenable: On M.J. Akbar
The Minister of State for External Affairs, M.J. Akbar, should have done the only right thing in the circumstances — resign. This was the only course to limit the already significant damage to the high office he holds. His legacy in Indian journalism would also have been better served had he quit first and attempted to defend himself legally or otherwise later. Unfortunately, he chose not to. Upon his return to Delhi from an overseas official trip on Sunday, he went on the offensive by dismissing the long string of charges of sexual harassment made against him by former women colleagues as a tissue of lies. He chose to spin an unconvincing web of conspiracy around the sudden spate of the #MeToo disclosures over the last week. Mr. Akbar’s basic theme: with elections round the corner, these charges are motivated. There is a second, more specific line in his attempted defence — one that suggests that the gravamen of the charges is vague and unsubstantiated. While it is true that not every one of the dozen or so women have claimed they were physically assaulted, the overall picture they have painted is that of a systematic pattern of sexual harassment. Their stories range from suggestiveness and innuendo to outright molestation. Together they make for sad and worrying reading, but at least a couple highlight how far he seemed willing to go. Ghazala Wahab, now executive editor at FORCE magazine, has written of repeated molestation at his hands in the mid-1990s when he was her editor at Asian Age. Majlie de Puy Kamp, now a New York-based reporter, has spoken of how a decade later he forcibly kissed her when she was 18 and interning with him.
Mr. Akbar’s conspiracy theory that the #MeToo charges have settled upon him because elections are now looming is weak and totally unconvincing. He has no political heft and a conspiracy to tarnish him and secure his speedy exit from the Narendra Modi government would have left it none the weaker. Now that he has decided to dig his heels in, the focus cannot but shift to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Why wasn’t his resignation demanded and secured on his return to the Capital? Surely, the Prime Minister had more than enough time to sift through the charges, take stock of Mr. Akbar’s alleged misdemeanours and conclude whether he should continue in the Cabinet. By failing to immediately force him to step down, Mr. Modi has sent an unfortunate message about his government’s attitude to harassment and the protection of women in workspaces. He has appeared as if he is standing behind Mr. Akbar and will be perceived by many as having failed India’s women.
MEANINGS AND WORD
1) Legacy
Meaning: Anything handed down from the past, as from an ancestor or predecessor
Synonyms: Inheritance, Heritage
Example: France’s current crop wants to build its own legacy, having grown up in the shadow of its nation’s 1998 triumph, the only one in French history.
2) Go(went) on the offensive
Meaning: begin to take strong action against people who have been attacking you.
Example: After her court appearance her lawyers went on the offensive.
3) String
Meaning: any series of things arranged or connected in a line or following closely one after another
Synonyms: Strand, Long
Antonyms: Individual
Example : a string of islands; a string of questions
4) Spate
Meaning : a sudden, almost overwhelming, outpouring
Synonyms : Deluge, Flurry
Example : a spate of angry words
5) Disclosures
Meaning: the act or an instance of disclosing; exposure; revelation
Synonyms: acknowledgment, revelation, admission
Antonyms : concealment, denial, cover-up
Example : He offered full disclosure of the government files on the assassination
6) round the corner
Meaning : Around (round) the corner
Synonyms : adjacent, nearby,adjoining
Antonyms : distant, beyond
Example : There’s a chemist round the corner
7) vague
Meaning : of uncertain, indefinite, or unclear character or meaning.
Synonyms : indistinct, indefinite, indeterminate
Antonyms : clear, precise, firm, sharpness
Example : “Many patients suffer vague symptoms”
8) unsubstantiated
Meaning: not supported or proven by evidence.
Synonyms: unconfirmed, unsupported, uncorroborated
Antonyms: well founded, undeniable
Example : Unsubstantiated claims
9) Harassment
Meaning: aggressive pressure or intimidation.
Synonyms: persecution, harrying, pestering, badgering
Antonyms: cooperation, assistance
Example : She sued her boss for sexual harassment.
10) innuendo
Meaning : an allusive or oblique remark or hint, typically a suggestive or disparaging one.
Synonyms : insinuation, implication
Antonyms : Evidence, Proof
Example : she’s always making sly innuendoes
11) at his hands (at the hand(s) of)
Meaning : Due to the actions of.
Example : At least her first loss came at the hands of a very formidable opponent.
12) Conspiracy
Meaning : a secret plan by a group to do something unlawful or harmful.
Synonyms : plot, scheme, stratagem
Antonyms : Honesty, Ignorance
Example : “a conspiracy to destroy the government”.
13) Looming
Meaning : appear as a vague form, especially one that is large or threatening.
Synonyms : emerge, appear, become visible
Antonyms : Decline, Leave, Fall
Example : vehicles loomed out of the darkness
14) Heft
Meaning : ability or influence
Synonyms : Weight, Charge
Antonyms : Benefit, Blessing
Example : They lacked the political heft to get the formulation banned
15) tarnish
Meaning: damage or harm done to something.
Synonyms: smear, black mark, slur
Antonyms: Aid, Fix, Heal
Example: The tarnish on Alan’s personal reputation
16) take stock
Meaning: make an overall assessment of a particular situation, typically before making a decision.
Synonyms: review, assess, reassess, Inspect
Antonyms: Disprove, Invalidate, Forget, Neglect
Example: “He needed a period of peace and quiet in order to take stock of his life”
17) Misdemeanours
Meaning: a minor wrongdoing.
Synonyms : wrongdoing, evil deed, crime, felony
Antonyms: Obedience
Example: The player can expect a suspension for his latest misdemeanor
18) Perceived
Meaning : become aware or conscious of (something); come to realize or understand.
Synonyms : discern, recognize, become cognizant of
Antonyms : Misunderstand, Neglect
Example: “His mouth fell open as he perceived the truth”
