THE HINDU EDITORIAL : JUNE 20, 2018
THE HINDU EDITORIAL : JUNE 20, 2018
THE HINDU EDITORIAL like many other sections will be the imperative one to crack the forthcoming exams like SBI PO 2018, SBI Clerk 2018 and IBPS RRB 2018 & South Indian Bank PO 2018 (newly released notification). Learn new vocabulary words routinely.
a) Talaq in J&K: on PDP-BJP split
A marriage of convenience ends the moment a divorce becomes more convenient. In Jammu and Kashmir, the post-poll coalition of the two polar opposites, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the People’s Democratic Party, was never meant to coalesce into a credible pre-poll alliance. But while the PDP would have been willing to wait till the Assembly election in 2020 before breaking ties, the BJP had its compulsions for pulling out of the alliance before the Lok Sabha election next year. Both parties feed off the denominational divide, the BJP depending on the Hindu vote bank in Jammu and the PDP on the Muslim vote bank in Kashmir. Neither party’s campaign rhetoric would have appealed to the other’s support base. The divorce was thus foretold from the beginning: what was left to be decided was the most opportune moment for separation. For the BJP, the controversy over the support extended by two of its Ministers to the accused in the Kathua rape-and-murder case would have signalled that the alliance was no longer sustainable. A majority of its supporters in the Jammu region were opposed to the case being pursued to its logical conclusion. But outside of Jammu, the BJP knew it could not be seen as extending support to the accused. The withdrawal of the two Ministers from the J&K Cabinet did not go down well with the BJP’s rank and file, which was beginning to feel the PDP was getting the better of the bargain. But breaking ties on the Kathua issue would have sent all the wrong signals to the rest of the country, which was horrified at the brutal nature of the crime. So, the BJP chose to wait. The differences over whether or not to extend the cessation of operations against the militants announced for the Ramzan month provided a fresh opportunity. While the PDP wanted the cessation of operations to continue so that it could serve as a launch pad to talk with separatists about a political solution, the BJP saw it as no more than a respite from stone-pelting in the Valley. In any case, with the Hurriyat showing absolutely no inclination to talk, and the militants targeting civilians and Army personnel in a continuing spiral of violence, there were arguments to the effect that it was futile to extend the stay on Army operations. Given how the numbers stack up in the J&K Assembly, an alternative government without the BJP will need the PDP, the National Conference and the Congress to come together — a possibility that is, to understate the point, somewhat remote. The PDP and the NC are political rivals in the Valley, fighting for the same political constituency. A coalition would be fraught with political risks for both. The 2014 verdict was a fractured mandate, one that reflected the fragmented polity of a State torn asunder by violence. Another election may not guarantee political stability, but it remains the only way to test the popular will of the people in this roiled State.
b) The last to know: on ICICI imbroglio
The board of ICICI Bank has finally acted on the allegations of misconduct against its CEO and managing director, Chanda Kochhar. It had earlier maintained that she was on annual personal leave; now, she will stay away from the office till the completion of an inquiry into the charges levelled against her by a whistle-blower. Rather than allow the controversy to fester, the board of ICICI Bank, an institution that often sought to hold a mirror up to the inefficiencies of public sector banks, should have acted earlier. Till the inquiry is complete the bank will be steered by a new chief operating officer, Sandeep Bakhshi. The official version is that he will report to Ms. Kochhar, who herself took the decision to go on leave till the end of the inquiry — but this is at best a face-saving cover for a board that was reluctant to act since the controversy broke. Meanwhile, the tenure of M.K. Sharma, the chairman of the bank’s board, is set to end this month and there is still no clarity on his successor. This extended uncertainty in a crisis situation is unwarranted. ICICI Bank’s troubles are rooted in a 2016 complaint by an investor alleging a quid pro quo deal between Ms. Kochhar’s immediate family members and the Videocon group, which got a ₹3,250-crore loan from it. When this ‘conflict of interest’ complaint resurfaced in the public domain this year, Mr. Sharma said he had personally inquired into it two years earlier and found nothing amiss. With the Central Bureau of Investigation and later the stock market regulator SEBI swooping in, the issue of whether the bank had failed to make adequate disclosures about its dealings with the borrower (who is now a defaulter) and a firm related to Ms. Kochhar’s husband was spotlighted. The bank is yet to respond to SEBI but changed tack after the latter decided to launch a probe into allegations of a quid pro quo and alleged misconduct by Ms. Kochhar. Three weeks on, the names of the members of and terms of reference for the probe panel to be led by retired Supreme Court judge B.N. Srikrishna are still awaited. It is debatable whether such a high-profile panel is required to ascertain if Ms. Kochhar, whose term ends next March, had made adequate disclosures while deciding on the loans. The board itself could have dealt with this through an internal investigation rather than giving the impression that it wanted to paper over the issue, sending a poor signal to all stakeholders. No doubt Ms. Kochhar, a star on the corporate firmament, enjoys a formidable reputation as a banker. While one should not prejudge the inquiry findings, there is no doubt that the strength of corporate governance practices in the bank has come under question because of the way the issue has played out.
WORDS/ VOCABULARY
1) Convenience
Meaning: The state of being able to proceed with something without difficulty.
Example: “Services should be run to suit the convenience of customers, not of staff”
Synonyms: Benefit, Use.
2) Coalition
Meaning: A temporary alliance for combined action, especially of political parties forming a government.
Example: “A coalition between Liberals and Conservatives”
Synonyms: Alliance, Union.
3) Coalesce
Meaning: Come together to form one mass or whole.
Example: “The puddles had coalesced into shallow streams”
Synonyms: Unite, Join together.
4) Pulling out
Meaning: Withdraw from an undertaking.
Example: “He was forced to pull out of the championship because of an injury”
Synonyms: Withdraw, Resign.
5) Feed off
Meaning: To increase because of something, or to use something to succeed or get advantages.
Example: “Fascism feeds off poverty. Using and misusing”
6) Rhetoric
Meaning: Language designed to have a persuasive or impressive effect, but which is often regarded as lacking in sincerity or meaningful content.
Example: “All we have from the Opposition is empty rhetoric”
Synonyms: Bombast, Loftiness.
7) Appealed
Meaning: Make a serious, urgent, or heartfelt request.
Example: “Police are appealing for information about the incident”
Synonyms: Ask urgently/earnestly, Request urgently/earnestly.
8) Foretold
Meaning: Predict (the future or a future event).
Example: “A seer had foretold that the earl would assume the throne”
Synonyms: Predict, Forecast.
9) Opportune
Meaning: (Of a time) especially convenient or appropriate for a particular action or event.
Example: “He couldn’t have arrived at a less opportune moment”
Synonyms: Auspicious, Propitious.
10) Controversy
Meaning: Prolonged public disagreement or heated discussion.
Example: “The design of the building has caused controversy”
Synonyms: Disagreement, Dispute.
11) Accused
Meaning: A person or group of people who are charged with or on trial for a crime.
Example: “The accused was ordered to stand trial on a number of charges”
12) Pursued
Meaning: Follow or chase (someone or something).
Example: “The officer pursued the van”
Synonyms: Go after, Run after.
13) Bargain
Meaning: An agreement between two or more people or groups as to what each will do for the other.
Example: “Bargains between political parties supporting the government”
Synonyms: Agreement, Arrangement.
14) Horrified
Meaning: Fill with horror; shock greatly.
Example: “They were horrified by the very idea”
Synonyms: Frighten, Scare.
15) Brutal
Meaning: Savagely violent.
Example: “A brutal murder”
Synonyms: Savage, Cruel.
16) Cessation
Meaning: The fact or process of ending or being brought to an end.
Example: “The cessation of hostilities”
Synonyms: End, Ending.
17) Respite
Meaning: A short period of rest or relief from something difficult or unpleasant.
Example: “The refugee encampments will provide some respite from the suffering”
Synonyms: Rest, Break.
18) Stone-pelting
Meaning: Pelting is defined as throwing something at or bombarding someone with something. When you are throwing rocks at a building, this is an example of a time when you are pelting the building with rocks.
Example: When you keep bombarding someone with questions, this is an example of a time when you are pelting him with questions.
19) Fraught
Meaning: (Of a situation or course of action) filled with (something undesirable).
Example: “Marketing any new product is fraught with danger”
Synonyms: Full of, Filled with.
20) Verdict
Meaning: A decision on an issue of fact in a civil or criminal case or an inquest.
Example: “The jury returned a verdict of not guilty”
Synonyms: Judgement, Adjudication.
21) Mandate
Meaning: An official order or commission to do something.
Example: “A mandate to seek the release of political prisoners”
Synonyms: Instruction, Directive.
22) Fragmented
Meaning: Break or cause to break into fragments.
Example: “Lough Erne fragmented into a series of lakes”
Synonyms: Break up, Break.
23) Torn
Meaning: Be in a state of uncertainty between two conflicting options or parties.
Example: “He was torn between his duty and his better instincts”
Synonyms: Torment, Torture.
24) Asunder
Meaning: Apart.
Example: “Those whom God hath joined together let no man put asunder”
Synonyms: Apart, up, In two.
25) Roiled
Meaning: To cause something to stop working in the usual or expected way.
Example: “Fears about Japan roiled world financial markets last week”
26) Allegations
Meaning: A claim or assertion that someone has done something illegal or wrong, typically one made without proof.
Example: “He made allegations of corruption against the administration”
Synonyms: Claim, Assertion.
27) Whistle-blower
Meaning: A person who informs on a person or organization regarded as engaging in an unlawful or immoral activity.
28) Fester
Meaning: (Of a negative feeling or a problem) become worse or more intense, especially through long-term neglect or indifference.
Example: “Below the surface, the old antagonisms festered”
Synonyms: Rankle, Chafe.
29) Reluctant
Meaning: Unwilling and hesitant; disinclined.
Example: “Today, many ordinary people are still reluctant to talk about politics”
Synonyms: Unwilling, Disinclined.
30) Tenure
Meaning: The holding of an office.
Example: “His tenure of the premiership would be threatened”
Synonyms: Incumbency, Term of office.
31) Unwarranted
Meaning: Not justified or authorized.
Example: “I am sure your fears are unwarranted”
Synonyms: Unjustified, Unjustifiable.
32) Rooted
Meaning: Establish deeply and firmly.
Example: “Vegetarianism is rooted in Indian culture”
Synonyms: Embedded, Fixed.
33) Resurfaced
Meaning: Put a new coating on or re-form (a surface, especially a road).
Example: “I helped my mother to resurface the kitchen floor”
34) Quid pro quo
Meaning: A favour or advantage granted in return for something.
Example: “The pardon was a quid pro quo for their help in releasing hostages”
Synonyms: Exchange, Trade.
35) Debatable
Meaning: Open to discussion or argument.
Example: “It is debatable whether the country is coming out of recession”
Synonyms: Arguable, Disputable.
36) Ascertain
Meaning: Find (something) out for certain; make sure of.
Example: “An attempt to ascertain the cause of the accident”
Synonyms: Find out, Discover.
37) Formidable
Meaning: Inspiring fear or respect through being impressively large, powerful, intense, or capable.
Example: ” A formidable opponent”
Synonyms: Intimidating, Forbidding.
38) Reputation
Meaning: A widespread belief that someone or something has a particular characteristic.
Example: “His knowledge of his subject earned him a reputation as an expert”
Synonyms: Name, Good name
39) Prejudge
Meaning: Form a judgement on (an issue or person) prematurely and without having adequate information.
Example: “It is wrong to prejudge an issue on the basis of speculation”
Synonyms: Judge prematurely, Anticipate.
40) Played out
Meaning: Used or seen too many times before so no longer interesting.
Example: “The melodrama is a little played out to be entirely satisfying”
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