Topic Of The Day:-“End The Violence”
Longstanding issues such as the demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland in the Darjeeling Hills of West Bengal cannot be wished away with a magic wand. State Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee appears to think otherwise, as if charisma, short-term political tactics, and tokenism are enough. Ms. Banerjee had claimed to have solved the Gorkhaland issue after agreeing to the semi-autonomous Gorkhaland Territorial Administration in 2011, following a series of agitations by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha. In the years since its establishment, little has been done on the ground to transfer many of the subjects to the body as was promised, rendering the notion of autonomous rule in the Hills rather moot. The hold of the GJM in the Hills was sought to be broken by reaching out to indigenous communities in the region through the creation of various tribal development boards. The GJM, on the other hand, believes that the GTA is just a stepping stone for the creation of a separate State. Legitimate grievances with the West Bengal government on transfer of powers to the GTA aside, the GJM, which has ruled the Authority, too has been guilty of lackadaisical administration. The party also mirrors Ms. Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress in Machiavellian tactics, such as dovetailing with the Bharatiya Janata Party in parliamentary elections alone so as to secure support for the statehood demand. The ad hocism and tokenism shown by these two political parties in West Bengal are responsible for the renewed violence in the Darjeeling Hills. For its part, the BJP is caught in a bind — it seems to be sympathetic to the statehood demand, allied as it is to the GJM in the Hills, but is afraid to articulate it openly as it has ambitions in the rest of the State. The proximate cause for the flare-up in the Hills was the State government’s announcement that Bengali should be compulsorily taught in all schools in West Bengal till Class X. Earlier this month the government had also held a cabinet meeting in the Hills after many years, drawing a sharp response from the GJM and other separatist political forces that saw this as a ploy to undermine the GTA’s authority. Ms. Banerjee later clarified that Bengali was optional in the hill district, but this was not enough to assuage sentiments as the GJM sought to use this point to ramp up agitations. The whipping up of passions in the Hills has coincided with the rise of Bengali chauvinism in the plains in the recent past. This polarisation does not portend well. The State government must reach out to the GJM and work out a way to transfer powers to the GTA as was promised in 2011. A signal in this direction will go a long way in tamping down the violent agitation. It should also abandon its wishful thinking that short cuts can solve the intractable Gorkhaland issue, which is culturally rooted.
MEANINGS AND WORDS
1) Agitations
Meaning: A state of anxiety or nervous excitement; The arousing of public concern about an issue and pressing for action on it.
Example: She was wringing her hands in agitation.
Synonyms: Anxiety, Disquiet
Antonyms: Calmness, Relaxation
2) Rendering
Meaning: The way that something is performed, written, drawn, etc.
Example: Her rendering of the song was delightful.
Synonyms: Provide, Supply
Antonyms: Failure, Complication
3) Indigenous
Meaning: Naturally existing in a place or country rather than arriving from another place.
Example: So who are the indigenous people of this land?
Synonyms: Native, Original
Antonyms: Expatriate, Migrant
4) Legitimate
Meaning: To make something legal or acceptable.
Example: The government fears that talking to terrorists might legitimate their violent actions.
Synonyms: Legal, Lawful
Antonyms: Illegal, False
5) Lackadaisical
Meaning: Showing little enthusiasm and effort.
Example: The food was nice enough but the service was somewhat lackadaisical.
Synonyms: Careless, Lazy
Antonyms: Enthusiastic, Excited
6) Machiavellian
Meaning: Using clever but often dishonest methods that deceive people so that you can win power or control.
Example: Most of them, with Machiavellian cunning, were refusing to answer their telephones.
Synonyms: Devious, Cunning
Antonyms: Straightforward, Ingenuous
7) Dovetailing
Meaning: To cause something to fit exactly together.
Example: We tried to dovetail our plans with theirs.
Synonyms: Conform, Equate, Fit in, Agree
Antonyms: Disagree, Oppose
8) Tokenism
Meaning: Actions that are the result of pretending to give advantage to those groups in society who are often treated unfairly, in order to give the appearance of fairness.
Example: Unfairness and favouring someone unfairly.
9) Articulate
Meaning: Able to express thoughts and feelings easily and clearly, or showing this quality.
Example: She gave a witty, entertaining, and articulate speech.
Synonyms: Eloquent, Fluent
Antonyms: Hesitant, Inarticulate
10) Proximate
Meaning: Nearly accurate; approximate.
Example: He would try to change her speech into proximate ladylikeness.
Synonyms: Direct, Imminent
11) Assuage
Meaning: To make unpleasant feelings less strong.
Example: The government has tried to assuage the public’s fears.
Synonyms: Relieve, Ease
Antonyms: Aggravate, Intensify
12) Whipping Up
Meaning: To encourage or cause people to have strong feelings about something.
Example: He was trying to whip up some enthusiasm for the project.
Synonyms: Beating
13) Chauvinism
Meaning: The strong and unreasonable belief that your own country or race is the best or most important.
Example: The war stimulated an intense national chauvinism.
Synonyms: Jingoism, Ethnocentrism
14) Portend
Meaning: To be a sign that something bad is likely to happen in the future.
Example: It was a deeply superstitious country, where earthquakes were commonly believed to portend the end of dynasties.
Synonyms: Presage, Augur
15) Tamping
Meaning: Ram or pack (a substance) down or into something firmly.
Example: He tamped down the tobacco with his thumb.
Synonyms: Flatten
