TH_10_May_2022.pdf

💢💢The Hindu Editorial with Vocab - 10th MAY

Alarm bells: On symbols of Sikh separatism


Symbols of Sikh separatism that appeared at the Himachal Pradesh Assembly complex in Dharamshala on Sunday suggest that forces promoting it are active and capable of mischief. Purported flags of imaginary Khalistan were put up on the gate of the complex, and slogans scrawled on the walls. The State police chief has set up a special investigation team and ordered heightened vigil at the borders. On the same day, the police in Punjab said they had averted a terror attack after arresting two men, said to be Khalistani sympathisers, with explosives in Tarn Taran district. A U.S.-based Khalistani separatist has been charged in Himachal Pradesh under the UAPA and the Indian Penal Code. Opposition parties in the State, the Congress and AAP, have used the incident to make a case against the ruling BJP, months ahead of the Assembly election. Comparable rhetoric had shadowed the recent election in Punjab, where political opponents accused one another of being sympathetic to separatists. That was avoidable loose talk on a sensitive topic. Sikh separatism, and the accompanying terrorism supported by Pakistan, was snuffed out by the Indian state decades ago, but at a huge human and political cost. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated and the sectarian violence against the Sikh community that followed in different places deepened the fault lines. Those wounds continue to fester, and care must be taken by the state, political actors and community leaders to ensure that history does not repeat itself as yet another tragedy.

A separatist plan to hold a referendum on Khalistan in Himachal Pradesh is laughable, but vigilance is essential. The groups that call for Khalistan are based abroad, and command little respect in the Sikh mainstream at the moment. They campaign among the Sikh diaspora, alleging mistreatment of the community by the Indian state. They have a favourable environment though. Domestic divisions in India, exacerbated by the politics and policy of the ruling BJP, are echoing among the diaspora in the U.S., Canada, Europe and Australia. Religious minorities and Dalits have been disconnected from the diaspora mobilisation of the Indian government. Hindutva affiliates helm Indian diaspora politics. This provides an opening for India’s enemies to inflame passions. Fortunately for India, there are not many takers for such propaganda among the Sikh community. But thoughtless comments and campaigns against the community, particularly when they are led by powerful political actors, can trigger serious reactions. In its desperation to delegitimise the farm agitation, the BJP tacitly supported campaigns that portrayed Sikh protestors as anti-nationals inspired by foreign countries. Though isolated and feeble, Sikh separatism continues to flicker. It must serve as a constant reminder for social cohesion and impartial state policy.


CREDIT SOURCE - THE HINDU
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1. Scrawl(verb): write (something) in a hurried, careless way.

2. Avert(v): turn away, stop , prevent;

3. Rhetoric(N):  power of speech

4. Fester(v) : (of a wound or sore) become septic; suppurate.

5. Referendum(N) : a general vote by the electorate on a single political question which has been referred to them for a direct decision.

6. Exacerbate(v) - make (a problem, bad situation, or negative feeling) worse.

7. Diaspora(N) - the dispersion or spread of any people from their original homeland. प्रवासी

10-05-2022_-_Hand_Written_Notes.pdf

TH_11_May_2022.pdf

💢💢The Hindu Editorial with Vocab - 11th MAY

The end of a brand: On the fall of the Rajapaksas

The resignation of Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, amidst extraordinary scenes of violence as part of the widespread public uprising against his family’s rule, marks the abrupt fall of a political brand that has been dominating the country for the better part of the last decade-and-a-half. Venerated by large sections of the majority Sinhalese as a national hero who defeated the Liberation Tigers, Mr. Mahinda could never have imagined that his teeming support base would be replaced by swarming protesters so vehemently opposed to him that he would have to leave ‘Temple Trees’, his Colombo residence, for safety. Thousands of protesters have been demanding the resignation of all the Rajapaksas occupying various posts, including President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, as the economic crisis became unbearable with a huge shortage of food and fuel, as well as the means to buy them. Until a few days ago, the Rajapaksas appeared heedless of the demand, as the country sought to overcome the crisis through overseas aid and bailout packages. However, as the protests spiralled, it appeared that the President wanted his elder brother to resign as Prime Minister. Amidst the political uncertainty, a violent attack on the protesters in Colombo, allegedly by supporters of the Prime Minister, set off a series of incidents that resulted in deaths and injuries, even as houses of political leaders, including the ancestral home of the Rajapaksas in Hambantota, were targeted by arsonists.

Mr. Mahinda’s resignation may not be enough to assuage the protesters and the political instability may continue. Anyone taking up the post of Prime Minister now will have to command public trust as well as have the will to steer the country towards economic recovery. President Gotabaya will have to choose someone who can command a parliamentary majority, but the current mood of public anger may deter anyone who has been associated with the Rajapaksa regime. The Opposition leader, Sajith Premadasa, has already declined an offer to head a government under a Gotabaya Presidency. For India, which has responded to the crisis with financial and material aid worth $3.50 billion, the situation presents a unique dilemma: its continued support should not be seen as a means of keeping an unpopular regime going; nor can it look the other way as shortages persist, causing misery for the common folk. In its reaction to the situation, India has said it supports Sri Lanka’s democracy, stability and economic recovery and that it “will always be guided by the best interests of the people of Sri Lanka expressed through democratic processes”. This can only mean that it does not want to be seen as extending political support to the present regime, but prioritises the people’s interests. A larger message from the demise of the Rajapaksa brand is that muscular nationalism and majoritarian mobilisation may not be an endless reservoir of support, and will be of no avail when the masses face economic hardship.


CREDIT SOURCE - THE HINDU
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1. Abrupt (Adj)- sudden and unexpected.

2. Venerate (V)- regard with great respect; revere. पूजनीय

3. Swarming (Adj)- moving in or forming a large or dense group. झुंड

4. Vehemently (Adv)- in a forceful, passionate, or intense manner; with great feeling. आवेगपूर्ण

5. Unbearable (Adj)- not able to be endured or tolerated. असहनीय

6. Bailout (N)- an act of giving financial assistance to a failing business or economy to save it from collapse.

7. Ancestral (Adj)- of, belonging to, or inherited from an ancestor or ancestors. पैतृक

8. Folk (N)- people, especially those of a particular group or type. लोग

11-05-2022_-_Handwritten_Notes.pdf

TH_12_May_2022.pdf