Daily English Vocab
PDF 12th Dec 2016
Demonetization As Catalyst
Congress to Trinamool, it has thrown up new calculations across the opposition spectrum. One
month into demonetization, much has been said about and read into what it means for the
government and for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. What has it thrown up for the opposition? To
be honest, the demonetization exercise is only a prism through which to watch key individuals in
the opposition. With two years to go for the next Lok Sabha election, Modi's opponents were
beginning to make their moves anyway. Demonetization was only a catalyst.
In Congress, this period has seen the all-but ascension (आरोहण/पद ग्रहण करना) of Rahul Gandhi. He is
not party president yet but is clearly more visible in Parliament and in negotiations with other
opposition groups. It can be argued this doesn't mean much. When you have the Congress
president-in-waiting standing next to a second-rung leader of a regional party at a protest meeting,
it makes for a photo-op and conveys a message Congress would rather avoid.
Frankly, Congress doesn't have the luxury of options. It is going to approach 2019 as it did 2004,
with the idea of building a coalition (गठबंधन/सघं मेल) of parties outside the Modi umbrella. The
difference is in 2004 Sonia Gandhi did the legwork and in the run-up to 2019 the onus (भार/ज़िम्मेदारी)
is on Rahul. Sonia's absence from the frontline in recent days, whether for reasons of health or as
a deliberate (सोची समझी / इज़छित) strategy to give her son space, has indicated a transition, for
whatever it is worth.
When will Rahul Gandhi officially be anointed president? The party is in a predicament (कज़ठन
पररज़थिज़त/सक
ं ट में होना) as it wants to shield its new leader from the fiasco (असफलता/ज़िफलता) of a poor
election in Uttar Pradesh where even senior Congress functionaries have given up on denting
BJP's urban and Brahmin vote but bring him into the limelight in case Congress wins Punjab.
Ironically the latter may have more to do with the presence of a strong regional leader in Amarinder
Singh, someone the Congress vice-president sought to undermine.
The battle in Punjab is perceived as between Congress and Aam Aadmi Party. If AAP wins, Arvind
Kejriwal will get a booster shot for his national ambitions. He will gain control of a full-fledged
state government, one with a sizeable budget and its own police force. Politically these can be
effective weapons, especially in the neighbourhood of the capital.
If Kejriwal fails to wrest Punjab, however, it could prove a significant setback. The quest for
Punjab has had the Delhi chief minister neglecting his backyard. Even the most determined
Kejriwal loyalist will be hard put to accept today that AAP is anywhere as popular in the capital
as it was in February 2015. If Punjab does not go as planned, internal fissures may open up. The
election is a make-or-break moment for Kejriwal, at least at this juncture of his political career.
Along with Kejriwal, the other chief minister who has demanded a rollback of demonetisation is
Mamata Banerjee of Bengal. She has travelled across northern Indian cities, interacted with a series
of opposition leaders and is rumored to have hired a Hindi tutor. There is speculation
(अटकलबािी/ज़िचार/पररकल्पना) about whether she wants to move to the national stage.
All told, this is unlikely. Mamata knows her limitations. Other than any proximate liquidity crisis
following demonetization, her focus is on the 2019 Lok Sabha election. She has broken the
Congress-CPM alliance. She realizes BJP is slowly gaining ground, eyeing the anti-Trinamool
Congress vote and appealing to CPM voters. True, BJP is far from being a winner in Bengal but
the more it grows, the more non-Mamata votes it gets.
By taking on BJP, Mamata is seeking to ensure her Muslim voters don't stray (भटकना), especially
since they make up 30% of Bengal's electorate. By talking up BJP, she is hoping the Modi-Amit
Shah party and CPM will be locked in competition for the silver medal, leaving her well ahead of
a divided opposition. If her plan works, she could end up in 2019 with some 35 of Bengal's 42
seats. This would inoculate (प्रज़तथिाज़पत करना/ज़कसी पद पर ले जाना) her from a potential second Modi wave
or make her a kingmaker in any other situation.
Finally there is the man who has taken a contrarian (ज़िपरीत) position and praised taken a contrarian
position and praised demonetization: Nitish Kumar. The Bihar chief minister is far from sending
conciliatory (समझौताकारी/मैत्रीपूणण) signals to BJP. Rather he is trying to regain the upright, middle
class friendly position he had lost following his alliance with Lalu Prasad and relatively
disappointing performance as head of the coalition government in Patna.
By backing Modi, Nitish is letting a national constituency know he is not a maverick (थितंत्र ज़िचारों
िाला/अपरंपरागत), cares about fighting black money and is enlightened enough to stand by his rival
for a good cause. This will give him that much more credibility to criticize implementation should
the aftermath of demonetization not go as projected by the BJP government. In any eventuality, it
will allow Nitish to present himself as a reasonable, mature leader, alive to pan-Indian concerns
and a possible alternative to Modi should the occasion arise.
Of course all these calculations, of various opposition stalwarts ( ज़नष्ठािान समिणक), could come to
naught (शून्य/बेकार/व्यिण) if Modi and BJP do well in Uttar Pradesh. Till then, we can keep debating
demonetization.
(Courtesy: The Time of India)
1. Ascension (noun): The act of moving to a higher or more powerful position. (आरोहण/पद ग्रहण
करना)


Synonyms: Ascent, Climbing, Mounting, Rising, Scaling, Soaring, Escalating.
Antonyms: Declension, Decline, Descendancy.
Example: His ascension to the presidency proved to be worthy as international relations of the
country started towards amelioration.
Verb forms: Ascend, Ascended, Ascended.
Related words:
 Ascend (verb) - आरोहण करना

Ascendance (noun) - आरोहण

Ascendant (adjective) - आरोहत्
2. Coalition (noun): A body formed by the coalescing of originally distinct elements /a group
formed to gain an advantage. (गठबध
ं न/सघं मेल)
 Synonyms: Alliance, Union, Partnership, Affiliation.
 Antonyms: Detachment, Disunion, Division.
Example: If we want to obtain a pay raise, we need to form a coalition or a union to stand together
against our employer.
3. Onus (noun): something that is one's duty or responsibility. (भार/ज़िम्मेदारी)
 Synonyms: Vouchment, Responsibility, Liability, Obligation, Duty, Load.
 Antonyms: Negligence, Irresponsibility, Untidiness, Insouciance.
Example: As a good teacher, I accept the onus for making sure my students learn something each
day.
4. Predicament (noun): A situation from which extrication is difficult especially an unpleasant or
trying one. (कज़ठन पररज़थिज़त/सक
ं ट में होना)

Synonyms: Difficult Situation, Mess, Difficulty, Problematic, Issue, Plight, Quandary,
Trouble, Muddle.
 Antonyms: Blessing, Boon, Solution.
Example: The book “the Subconscious mind” describes one soul's predicament when the mind
of its human host refuses to cooperate with her takeover.
5. Fiasco (noun): A complete failure. (असफलता/ज़िफलता)
 Synonyms: Failure, Hoodoo, Flop, Ruin.
 Antonyms: Winning, Accomplishment, Achievement, Triumph, Success.
Example: After the pharmaceutical company endured a poisoning fiasco, it was unprofitable for
several years.
6. Speculation (noun):
(अटकलबािी/ज़िचार/पररकल्पना)
The forming of a theory or conjecture without firm evidence.
 Synonyms: Conjecture, Theorizing, Hypothesizing, Supposition, Guesswork, Thought.
 Antonyms: Reality, Truth, Knowledge, Proof, Fact.
Example: Without any leads or evidence, the detectives can only speculate about who might have
committed the crime.
Verb forms: Speculate, Speculated, Speculated.
Related words:
 Speculate (verb) - अनमु ान लगाना/विचार करना
7. Contrarian (adjective): Opposing or rejecting popular opinion or current practice. (ज़िपरीत)
 Synonyms: Contradictory, Converse, Counter, Dissident, Obstinate.
 Antonyms: Harmonious, Agreeable, Friendly, Conforming, Obliging.
Example: Contrary to what my wife has told the judge, I have never been unfaithful to her.
Related words:
 Contrariant (adjective) - प्रवतकूल

Contrariety (noun) - विपरीतता

Contrary (adjective) - विपरीतता
8. Maverick (adjective):
Tending to choose a different path from everyone else. (थितंत्र ज़िचारों
िाला/अपरंपरागत)
 Synonyms: Nonconformist, Unorthodox Person, Unconventional, Original, Trendsetter,
Bohemian.
 Antonyms: Conservative, Moderate.
Example: The maverick politician promised to leave behind the ways of the old guard and bring
change to the government.
9. Stalwart (adjective): Extremely dedicated and loyal./ a loyal, reliable, and hard-working
supporter of or participant in an organization or team. (ज़नष्ठािान समिणक)
 Synonyms: Staunch, Loyal, Faithful, Committed, Reliable, Devoted.
 Antonyms: Unreliable, Incredible, Dubious, Eely.
Example: The stalwart soldier died protecting his queen.
Related words:
Stalwartness (noun) – दृढ़ता
10. Naught (noun): Not anything/ come to nothing. (शून्य/बेकार/व्यिण)
 Synonyms: Nothing, Worthless, Insignificant, Nil, Cipher.
 Antonyms: Fruitful, Gainful, Rich, Prolific.
Example: Our picnic planning is for naught since a storm is rapidly approaching our area.
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