Bihar: CPI's D Raja urges students to take up the cudgels against Modi govt
Begusarai (Bihar) (PTI): CPI national general secretary D Raja urged students to take up the cudgels against the BJP government at the Centre which, he alleged, was only interested in "serving the interests of big businesses".
Addressing the national conference of All India Students' Federation (AISF), the CPI's student wing here on Thursday, Raja also charged the BJP with furthering the RSS' "fascist" ideology, which was "aimed at perpetuating caste hierarchy and patriarchy".
"(PM) Narendra Modi had come to power promising two crore jobs a year, way back in 2014. Where are the 18 crore jobs he should have created by now? And what happened to the black money, which he claimed was so huge that every citizen could get Rs 15 lakh in his or her account?" the CPI leader said.
Raja alleged that Modi's rule was "characterised by lies, in sharp contrast to the motto of 'Satyamev Jayate' (truth shall prevail)", and termed as "sinister" the current regime's moves like the 'Vishwakarma' scheme and the National Education Policy (NEP).
"The Vishwakarma scheme aims at ensuring that children of barbers and carpenters are made to continue with their father's occupation. This is the RSS thought that seeks to legitimise caste inequality and patriarchy," he claimed.
He also said the NEP, which he had opposed when it was introduced in Parliament, "aims at privatisation and commercialisation of education" and urged teachers to join hands with students in demanding a rollback.
"Rollback of NEP can be brought about only by a rollback of this government," asserted the CPI leader, who said all Left parties have joined hands and agreed to become a part of 'INDIA' coalition, which comprises many regional parties, besides the Congress.
He alleged that the Modi government was "interested only in promoting the interests of big businesses, particularly friendly tycoons like Adani and Ambani".
Recalling with pride his own association with AISF, Raja said, "Students cannot help taking part in politics. This responsibility is on their shoulders by virtue of the Universal Adult Franchise guaranteed in the Constitution".
The CPI leader, who spoke for nearly half an hour, began by pointing out that it was the birth anniversary of Bhagat Singh and asked the younger generation to draw inspiration from the revolutionary by visiting his memorial in Punjab.
"His epitaph has only two words 'Inquilaab Zindabad'. He uttered this words while being hanged, without the customary black cloth wrapped around his face, as per his own last wish," said Raja.
He added that Bhagat Singh was impressed with the ideology of communism, and was said to have been reading a work by Lenin when British officials entered his prison cell to inform that his execution was being preponed "since there were fears that the news of his death could lead to massive unrest".
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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.
