Topic of the day:- Alternative Dreams: On KCR’s Bid For An Alternative Front
Chandrashekar Rao’s outreach to regional parties sets the ball rolling on a ‘third front’
There are two more phases of polling in the Lok Sabha election and results are not due until May 23. But Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao, who heads the Telangana Rashtra Samithi, has sought meetings with his counterparts in other southern States as well as with Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam president M.K. Stalin in what is a clear attempt to prepare the ground for a ‘federal front’ of non-Congress, non-BJP parties after the elections. Mr. Rao had attempted to bring together such a formation earlier as well. Last year, a pre-election federal front did not quite take off due to the varying positioning of the regional parties. Some such as the DMK, the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Janata Dal (S) favored a direct alliance with the Congress and were not part of the TRS’s plans. While others such as the Trinamool Congress did not fully rule out a post-poll alliance with the Congress, the Biju Janata Dal has not ruled out any such alliance with either the BJP or the Congress. For the TRS, the idea of a federal front is rooted in the political contest in its own State. The Congress is the primary rival in Telangana for the TRS, and so its antipathy to a Congress-led coalition. In fact, the TRS had late last year abstained in the trust vote called by the Opposition in Parliament, signalling equidistance with the BJP and the Congress. However, by now seeking to meet Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of the CPI(M), Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy of the JD(S) and Mr. Stalin, Mr. Rao seems to be indicating a reorientation of sorts. Some of these parties are the Congress’s coalition partners — the JD(S) in Karnataka and the DMK in Tamil Nadu — and the Left has an unequivocal position against the BJP. Mr. Rao’s outreach has raised speculation that his party would be willing to be part of a regional front that is clearly more antithetical to the BJP and that could be supported by the Congress if the need arises. It may not be so simple, as there are other forces that the TRS is politically opposed to, such as the Telugu Desam Party, which are likely to be part of a post-poll anti-BJP coalition. The idea of a third front in which the Congress and the BJP do not play a part has always been attractive to the regional parties, and the Left in particular. But despite the continued relevance of regional parties, the resilience of the two main national parties has prevented this from happening. The fact that the TRS could not work out a pre-poll, pan-India coalition to delineate itself from the Congress and the BJP is in itself a signal of this. In the larger scheme of things, all this manoeuvring by the TRS chief might yield little more than some additional leverage for his party in a post-poll situation.
MEANINGS AND WORDS
- sought
Meaning: attempt or desire to obtain or achieve (something).
Synonyms: try to obtain, pursue, go after, strive for
Example Sentence: “the new regime sought his extradition”
- counterparts
Meaning: a person or thing that corresponds to or has the same function as another person or thing in a different place or situation.
Synonyms: equivalent, opposite number, peer, equal, parallel, complement
Antonyms: Original
Example Sentence: “the minister held talks with his French counterpart”
- take off
Meaning: (of an enterprise) become successful or popular.
Synonyms: succeed, do well, become popular, catch on
Antonyms: fail, flop
Example Sentence: “the newly launched electronic newspaper has really taken off”
- varying
Meaning: differing in size, amount, degree, or nature.
Synonyms: differ, be different, be unlike, be dissimilar
Antonyms: agree, be static
Example Sentence: “black ravens emerged from the fog”
- alliance
Meaning: a union or association formed for mutual benefit, especially between countries or organizations.
Synonyms: association, union, league, treaty, pact, compact
Antonyms: distance, separation
Example Sentence: “a defensive alliance between Australia and New Zealand”
- rule out
Meaning: EXCLUDE, ELIMINATE
Synonyms: ban, bar, close out, count (out)
Antonyms: admit, include
Example Sentence: another loss would rule them out of the tournament
- rival
Meaning: a person or thing competing with another for the same objective or for superiority in the same field of activity.
Synonyms: Competitor, opponent, contestant
Antonyms: Partner, ally
Example Sentence: “he has no serious rival for the job”
- antipathy
Meaning: a deep-seated feeling of aversion.
Synonyms: Hostility, antagonism, animosity, aversion
Antonyms: Liking, affinity, rapport
Example Sentence: “his fundamental antipathy to capitalism”
- coalition
Meaning: a temporary alliance for combined action, especially of political parties forming a government.
Synonyms: Alliance, union, partnership, affiliation
Antonyms: Detachment, Disunion, Divorce
Example Sentence: “a coalition between Liberals and Conservatives”
- abstained
Meaning: formally decline to vote either for or against a proposal or motion.
Synonyms: not vote, decline/refuse to vote
Antonyms: vote
Example Sentence: “forty-one voted with the Opposition, and some sixty more abstained”
- equidistance
Meaning: Equal Distance from both the ends. .
Example Sentence: a location equidistant from two major cities
- unequivocal
Meaning: leaving no doubt; unambiguous.
Synonyms: unambiguous, unmistakable, indisputable, incontrovertible
Antonyms: equivocal, ambiguous, vague
Example Sentence: “an unequivocal answer”
- speculation
Meaning: the forming of a theory or conjecture without firm evidence.
Synonyms: Conjecture, theorizing, hypothesizing
Antonyms: Sure Thing
Example Sentence: “there has been widespread speculation that he plans to quit”
- antithetical
Meaning: directly opposed or contrasted; mutually incompatible.
Synonyms: (directly) opposed to, contrary to, contradictory to, conflicting with
Antonyms: same, identical, like
Example Sentence: “people whose religious beliefs are antithetical to mine”
- despite
Meaning: without being affected by; in spite of.
Synonyms: in spite of, notwithstanding, regardless of, in defiance of
Antonyms: because of
Example Sentence: “he remains a great leader despite age and infirmity”
- relevance
Meaning: the quality or state of being closely connected or appropriate.
Example Sentence: “this film has contemporary relevance”
- manoeuvring
Meaning: carefully guide or manipulate (someone or something) in order to achieve an end.
Synonyms:Intrigue, plot, scheme, plan, lay plans
Antonyms: Inaction, Stoppage
Example Sentence: “they were manoeuvring him into betraying his friend”
- yield
Meaning: move out of or away from something and become visible.
Synonyms: Produce, bear, give, supply
Antonyms: Debt, Payment
Example Sentence: “this method yields the same results”
- leverage
Meaning: the power to influence a person or situation.
Synonyms: influence, power, authority, weight
Antonyms: Weakness
Example Sentence: “the right wing had lost much of its political leverage in the Assembly”
