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Daily Vocab Capsule 29th October 2019

There are Matters of States

BJP’s ‘nationalist’ narratives don’t always steamroll over livelihood concerns.

The results of assembly elections in Maharashtra and Haryana, alongside bypoll results in several states, are

certainly against expectations and demonstrate the limits of political ‘mass hypnosis’. BJP has taken a beating

because it set the bar too high. Forming governments in state after state hasn’t been enough for the party, as it

continues to aim to decimate Opposition and establish ideological hegemony in each election.

BJP’s campaign was launched by the two incumbent chief ministers with yatras when opposition parties were

low on confidence. They went the whole hog to publicise ‘achievements’ and the successful reworking of social

equations in the two states. A well-oiled public relations machinery made it appear that the polls were done and

dusted even before notification.

Amplifier’s Too Loud

But with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah’s high-voltage entry in the campaign, the

stakes were increased significantly. This round, too, became another ‘referendum’ on Modi and the string of

‘decisive and nationalist’ steps taken by GoI since the Modi administration was re-elected in May. Because of the

intensity of Modi’s communication skills, the amplification system running alongside made it appear that people

accepted the argument without demur.

Yet, as a significant fall in BJP’s vote share from May 2019 levels shows, this was not the case. This indicates

that despite manifold expansion and increased use and reach of information and communication technologies

(ICT), many of those tracking the political ‘pulse’ can still falter in reading public perception.

Before the verdict, many had begun spooling in their heads Francis Fukuyama’s old ‘end of history’ proposition,

which stated that the end of the Cold War and collapse of the Soviet Union marked the ‘end point of mankind’s

ideological evolution’. There were those here who wondered if India had reached the ‘end of elections and

beginning of a political hegemony’.

Lack of interest in these elections in an otherwise politics-crazy country may make it seem that ennui has set in

among people who are no longer fascinated by political contestations and more interested in ‘national issues’

and India’s ‘soaring’ global clout. BJP’s prodigious vocalising machinery made it appear that people were lining

up behind ‘national causes’, ready to underplay personal needs.

For the Opposition, the only hope was if it locked horns with the ideological walls BJP had erected — appealing

to the majority sentiment was a necessity. Suddenly, it seemed worth wondering whether secularism was such a

bad idea after all.

Thursday’s verdict shows that although BJP remains the dominant political party in the country, people continue

being guided by individual and routine concerns when making choices at local levels. Indian elections remain a

political minefield, and voters are still unsparing when it comes to mediocre or poor governance.

‘Managing’ image has become an article of faith for BJP. Likewise, ‘[electoral] machinery’ was seen as a passport

to success ever since Amit Shah galvanised the network and introduced micromanagement of campaigns with the

concept of panna pramukh — coordinators of each page of the voters’ list — in Uttar Pradesh in 2014.

These elections establish the limitations of image-building and booth management. Thankfully, it also removes

doubts and conspiracy theories that persisted regarding the election hardware, especially the electronic voting

machines (EVMs).

Alive to Livelihood

For once, the BJP leadership can blame no one but itself for overplaying its card. RSS, often criticised for not

being enthusiastic enough to push for a BJP victory, has never had higher stakes than now in a BJP regime. Unless

its top brass realises that ‘nationalist’ narratives do not completely circumvent livelihood concerns, it could be

in for a tough time in the next three assembly polls in Jharkhand later this year, and in Delhi and Bihar in 2020.

The verdicts also confirm that BJP’s runaway victory in Lok Sabha was chiefly due to Modi’s success in scripting

a muscular nationalistic campaign post-Pulwama and the retaliatory strike in Balakot. Delivery of microeconomic

egalitarian programmes may have contributed somewhat to the Lok Sabha victory, but their role was probably

exaggerated. There is no escape from fixing the economy and enhancing incomes. The party must also evaluate

if Shah’s ‘open-door policy’ — encouraging the influx of members from other parties to BJP — leading to its

‘Congressisation’ has become an albatross around its neck.

The absence of a ‘national’ Opposition was a blessing in disguise, as it prevented any aggregat ion of these

elections. Instead, the intensity of contests varied from region to region in both Maharashtra and Haryana to BJP’s

disadvantage. Its absence prevented BJP from really ‘nationalising’ the assembly polls.

This throws light on the possible way ahead for Congress. It’s time its top brass took a back seat and allowed the

satraps to take real charge in the states. This is the most opportune time to initiate structural changes and to give

more power to leaders with direct connect with voters.

Elections are always levellers and have, in the past, ‘corrected mandates’. It will be imprudent to read in

Thursday’s results any decline of Modi’s personal popularity. Yet, people will certainly gain if politics is more

keenly contested.

Courtesy: The Economic Times (National)

1. Steamroll (verb): Meaning: Force (someone) into doing or accepting something. (दबाव डालना)

Synonyms: Coerce, Oblige, Impel, Necessities

Antonyms: Persuade, Convince, Coax

Example: Santos' supporters are attempting to steamroll his appointment through Congress.

2. Well-oiled (adjective): Meaning: Working easily and effectively. (सुचारू, कुशल)

Synonyms: Efficient, Smooth-Running, Well-Organised, Effective

Antonyms: Disorganised, Inept, Inefficient

Example: The office runs like a well-oiled machine.

3. Demure (adjective): Meaning: (especially of women) quiet and well behaved. (ववनयशील)

Synonyms: Modest, Decorous, Retiring, Bashful, Coy

Antonyms: Bold, Brazen, Shameless, Brash

Example: Old photos of Maggie show her young and demure.

4. Ennui (Noon): Meaning: A feeling of being bored and mentally tired caused by having nothing interesting or

exciting to do. (नीरसता, ऊब)

Synonyms: Boredom, Languor, Tedium, Monotony

Antonyms: Excitement, Exhilaration, Vigour, Animation

Example: You too would suffer from ennui if you had to spend days in travelling.

5. Prodigious (adjective): Meaning: Extremely great in ability or strength. (ववलक्षण; अद्भुत)

Synonyms: Extraordinary, Phenomenal, Wonderful, Remarkable

Antonyms: Average, Usual, Ordinary, Common

Example: His memory was prodigious.

6. Clout (Noun): Meaning: Influence or power, especially in politics or business. (ताकत, प्रभाव)

Synonyms: Authority, Sway, Leverage, Dominance

Antonyms: Impotency, Powerlessness, Disability, Debility

Example: He has a lot of clout within the party.

7. Overplay (verb): Meaning: Give undue importance to. (अविक बल देना; अवतशयोक्ति करना)

Synonyms: Overemphasize, Exaggerate, Overstress, Overdo

Antonyms: Underplay, Downplay, Make Little Of, Minimise

Example: He thinks the bottle cap challenge is much overplayed by celebs.

8. Unsparing (adjective): Meaning: Showing no kindness. (वनददय)

Synonyms: Merciless, Severe, Unrelenting, Harsh

Antonyms: Generous, Merciful, Gracious, Forbearing

Example: He is unsparing of his own peace and comfort.

9. Circumvent (verb): Meaning: Overcome (a problem or difficulty), typically in a clever and surreptitious way.

(बच वनकालना; दरवकनार कंरना)

Synonyms: Outwit, Elude, Skirt, Outmaneuver

Antonyms: Confront, Face, Encounter, Take On

Example: They opened an office abroad in order to circumvent the tax laws.

10. Egalitarian (adjective): Meaning: Based on the idea that people are equally important and should have the

same rights and opportunities. (समतावादी)

Synonyms: Democratic, Classless, Uncensored, Equal, Open

Antonyms: Elitist, Discriminatory, Snobbish, Snooty

Example: I still believe in the notion of an egalitarian society.