Bucking (सुंदर वस्र पहनना) the trend of intractable (असभ्य) stand-offs, Parliament got down to business in the monsoon session that ended on Friday. The statistics tell the story. The Lok Sabha sat for 101 per cent of its scheduled hours and the Rajya Sabha for 96 per cent, according to data from the think tank, PRS Legislative Research. India’s Parliament has a very structured, and comparatively short, daily schedule, so these numbers should normally not have been taken to be exceptional. But the tendency over the past few years towards partisan lockdowns puts the business and debate conducted in this monsoon session in gratifying (संतुष्टिदायक) relief — and gives hope that the government and the Opposition may have arrived at terms of engagement to more permanently breathe oxygen into Parliament’s necessary processes. While 14 Bills were passed, the clearance of the Constitution (122nd) Amendment Bill in the Rajya Sabha is a standout achievement. One, it finally broke the deadlock (गतिरोध) on introducing the goods and services tax, and resumed the process towards actualising reform in India’s tax administration. It thereby ticked the box on a step that has been seen to be a sign of the country’s determination in decluttering procedures that both inhibit (रोकना) economic progress and allow rent-seeking. Two, it broke the cycle of Opposition parties, primarily the two main national parties, obstructing legislation that they had advocated while in government. The Bharatiya Janata Party did so during UPA rule, and the Congress did it in the first sessions of NDA rule.
That the cycle has been broken goes to the credit of both parties. But if it is to be made to herald (घोषणा करना) a more constructive engagement in Parliament, the government needs to go the longer mile. The Congress may have realised that a functioning legislature allows it to show that despite the debacle (पराजय) of 2014 it has the capacity to repurpose itself as a force of meaningful opposition in national politics. The Congress simply does not have a presence in the States the way the BJP did during UPA-II, which enabled it to cynically (रूखेपन) force adjournments repeatedly in Parliament while getting business done in the Assemblies to demonstrate its agenda. For the BJP at the Centre now, to get Parliament fully functional is especially challenging as it does not have the numbers in the Rajya Sabha. This demands that it accommodate, as any government must in a parliamentary spirit, Opposition demands for discussions on issues of the day. A sign of sincerity on the part of the government would be a demonstrable attempt to resist the temptation to overcome the numerical disadvantage in the Rajya Sabha by introducing some legislation as money bills. Fostering a bipartisan (द्विदलीय) consensus (आम सहमति) on important legislation and issues is always a work in progress.
Meaning of the words highlighted in the article
1. Bucking (verb) – (of a horse) to perform a buck
Synonyms – dislodge, traverse
Antonyms – agree, surrender
Ex: That evening he went to bed early and slept until dawn – indication enough that the bucking had taken its toll.
2. Intractable (adjective)– hard to control or deal with
Synonyms – indocile, refractory
Antonyms – willing, manageable
Ex: As the project grew larger, it became intractable and required a larger management team.
3. Gratifying (verb)– give (someone) pleasure or satisfaction
Synonyms – delightful, pleasing
Antonyms – unpleasant, unhappy
Ex: That he understood now how he needed to break rules from time-to-time to preserve his domain was gratifying after years of him judging her for it.
4. Deadlock (verb) – shock or excite (someone) into taking action.
Synonyms – dilemma, posture
Antonyms – continuation, advantage
Ex: The Italian students desired to revive the question of an Italian university, which had come to a deadlock, and in Nov.
5. Inhibit (verb) – hinder, restrain, or prevent (an action or process)
Synonyms – frustrate, curb
Antonyms – permit, advance
Ex: My inhibition makes me nervous about being watched so I try to blend into the scenery.
6. Herald (noun) – an official employed to oversee state ceremonial, precedence, and the use of armorial bearings, and (historically) to make proclamations, carry official messages, and oversee tournaments
Synonyms – forerunner, outrider
Ex: Because he was always up-to-date on the latest information, we referred to our friend as a herald.
7. Debacle (noun) – a sudden and ignominious failure, a fiasco
Synonyms – drubbing, collapse
Antonyms – miracle, victory
Ex: If you want to look at the country’s problems, start with the debacle of the healthcare system.
8. Cynically (adjective) – distrusting or disparaging the motives of others
Synonyms –dispiritedly, gloomily
Antonyms – expectantly, confidently
Ex: The king was cynical of his adviser’s motive for wanting to declare war.
9. Bipartisan (adjective) – of or involving the agreement or cooperation of two political parties that usually oppose each other’s policies
Synonyms –bipartite, dyadic
Ex: It is not the right time to implement such as scheme particularly when it doesn’ t have bipartisan support.
10. Consensus (noun) –a general agreement
Synonyms –concurrence, unison
Antonyms – dissension, unanimity
Ex: Fortunately for homeowners, a consensus has not been reached in favor of a property tax increase.
Word of the Day
Disregard
Meaning (English) – pay no attention to, ignore
Meaning (Hindi) – उपेक्षा
Synonyms – scorn, lassitude
Antonyms – honor, remembrance
Example – If a person disregards this ruling, the Chair shall have the power to instruct him/her to leave the meeting.
उदाहरण –यदि किसी व्यक्ति द्वारा इस निर्णय की अवहेलना की जाती है, तो अध्यक्ष को उसे बैठक छोड़कर जाने का निर्देश देने का अधिकार होगा।
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