The Hindu Editorial Based Vocab for Competitive Exams : 29th August

Father to son: on
Stalin as DMK president

As DMK president, Stalin has no
challengers from within, but faces a new mix of rivals

In appropriating the political
legacy of his father M. Karunanidhi, and emerging as the undisputed leader of
the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, M.K. Stalin faced the greatest challenge from
within his immediate family than from the wider party organisation. That he was
Karunanidhi’s son helped him in ways small and big right through his political
career, but Mr. Stalin also needed to beat back the challenge from his elder
brother, M.K. Alagiri. In the event, his elevation as the president of the DMK
on Tuesday was an uncontested process as Mr. Alagiri had been expelled from the
party in 2014 on the suggestion of Karunanidhi himself. However, the general
council meeting in Chennai that elected him president served as an opportunity
for Mr. Stalin to demonstrate his support within the organisation. Many of the
middle-rung leaders who had earlier proffered
allegiance to Mr. Alagiri fell in
line, and backed Mr. Stalin’s claim to the leadership of the party. While Mr.
Alagiri is putting up a fight from outside the party by alleging misuse of
party funds and assets and calling for a rally on September 5 in Chennai, he is
politically isolated now. Unless Mr. Stalin leads the DMK to successive
electoral defeats, Mr. Alagiri cannot hope to win back any support within the
party. Evidently, he overplayed his
hand, failing to see his finesse opportunity
while Karunanidhi was still alive. Mr. Stalin, in contrast, played the waiting
game, never violating party discipline or exceeding his brief. Mr. Alagiri’s
irrational impulse lost out to Mr. Stalin’s studied patience.

For Mr. Stalin, the real worry is
not his brother but his political opponents. While the Lok Sabha election is
less than a year away, the election that matters most for him, the Tamil Nadu
Assembly election, is not due for another three years. Mr. Stalin must be
hoping that the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government of Edappadi
K. Palaniswami will not survive that long, being pulled as it is in different
directions by dissidents and an overbearing
prospective ally, the Bharatiya
Janata Party. The DMK, having firmed up its alliance with the Congress, would
normally have been the favourite to win against a divided AIADMK, but the entry
of film actors Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth into electoral politics has
introduced new variables into the political mix. As he said after his election,
Mr. Stalin will need to reinvent himself and the DMK. The Dravidian ideology
can do with a reboot of rationalism;
and the DMK will have to align its short-term electoral interests with a
long-term vision of the development path for Tamil Nadu. As his father did
before him, Mr. Stalin must rely on a wider cross-section for support and
advice rather than a coterie. In the
midst of the political churn, he
will have to find his moorings.

1. Proffer: (verb) : प्रस्ताव देना

Meaning: to put before another
for acceptance or consideration

Synonyms: extend, give, offer,
tender, trot out

Antonyms: accredit, approbate,
approve, authorize, clear, confirm, finalize, formalize, homologate, ratify,
sanction, warrant

2. Allegiance: (noun) : निष्ठा

Meaning: adherence to something
to which one is bound by a pledge or duty

Synonyms: adhesion, attachment,
commitment, constancy, dedication, devotion, faith, faithfulness, fastness,
fealty, fidelity, loyalty, piety, steadfastness, troth

Antonyms: disloyalty,
faithlessness, falseness, falsity, inconstancy, infidelity, perfidy, treachery, unfaithfulness

3. Overplay: (verb) : अधिक बल देना

Meaning: give undue importance
to; overemphasize.

Synonyms: exaggerate, overdo,
overstate, overuse

4. Finesse: (noun) : चालाकी

Meaning: mental skill or
quickness

Synonyms: adroitness, cleverness,
dexterity, sleight

Antonyms: inadequacy,
incompetence, incompetency, ineptitude, ineptness

5. Dissident: (noun) : मतभेद करनेवाला

Meaning: a person who believes,
teaches, or advocates something opposed to accepted beliefs

Synonyms: dissenter, dissentient,
heresiarch, heretic, nonconformist

Antonyms: conformer, conformist

6. Ally: (noun) : मित्र

Meaning: someone associated with
another to give assistance or moral support

Synonyms: abettor, backer,
bedfellow, confederate, fellow traveler, supporter, sympathizer

Antonyms: belittler, detractor, adversary, enemy, foe, opponent

7. Reboot: (verb) :  किसी कार्य को दोबारा करना

Meaning: restart or revive (a process
or sequence, especially a series of films or television programmes); give fresh
impetus to.

Synonyms: reset, restart

8. Coterie: (noun) : मंडली

Meaning: a group of people
sharing a common interest and relating together socially

Synonyms: body, bunch, circle,
clan, clique, community, coven, crowd, fold, galère, gang, lot, network, pack,
ring, set

Antonyms: loner, individualist

9. Churn: (verb) : मंथन

Meaning: to be in a state of
violent rolling motion

Synonyms: boil, moil, roil,
seethe

Antonyms: abate, calm, subside

10. Mooring: (verb) : बांधना

Meaning: to put securely in place
or in a desired position

Synonyms: anchor, catch, clamp,
fasten, fix, hitch, secure, set

Antonyms: loose, loosen,
unfasten, unfix, unloose, unloosen