AAP sticks to 'teachers for stray dogs' claim, waves Delhi govt's order
New Delhi (PTI): The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday rejected the dismissal of the Delhi government's claim that school teachers had been roped in to handle matters related to stray dogs in the city, hours after a minister rubbished the party's allegation as "misinformation".
Earlier in the day, Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood alleged that the AAP leaders have been spreading misinformation on social media, claiming that teachers were being diverted from their academic responsibilities for non-teaching duties.
Addressing a press conference, AAP MLA Sanjeev Jha said, "Today, Ashish Sood released a video accusing the AAP of spreading lies, but the Directorate of Education released an order asking teachers to be deployed for matters related to stray dogs.”
“He is saying that there is nothing like that. Either he is not aware of what is happening in his department, or he is spreading lies," Jha said.
The AAP MLA also alleged that the BJP was not able to handle the education system in Delhi.
"Before 2015, teachers were deployed for other things, but after our government came to power, Manish Sisodia (who was the education minister) understood the pain of teachers. Sisodia has left behind a legacy in terms of shaping the education system, and these people are not able to handle it," he said.
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"Earlier, there were news reports about teachers being sent to foreign countries for training or how Arvind Kejriwal was protesting against the Lieutenant Governor over his refusal to send teachers to Finland. But now stories are being printed about teachers being deployed to monitor stray dogs," he said.
Kumar demanded that the BJP government withdraw the order.
"Such orders are also being issued in Haryana. But there is a strong opposition party here in Delhi. We are standing with teachers," he added.
The Directorate of Education directed schools in the national capital to appoint nodal officers to handle matters related to stray dogs around their educational institutions, in compliance with a Supreme Court order over the issue, but no such specific role has been assigned to teachers.
In an official statement issued on Monday, the directorate clarified, "No directions have been issued by the Directorate of Education concerning the assignment of specific duties to teachers."
VIDEO | Delhi: Addressing a press conference, AAP leader Sanjeev Jha says, “Yesterday, Ashish Sood was challenging us to show a notice supporting our statement. This circular was issued on November 20 by the Government of the National Capital Territory - Director of Education,… pic.twitter.com/bTKkcuIXIR
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 30, 2025
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
