BJP acknowledges having empowered a criminal: Priyanka Gandhi on MLA Sengar's expulsion
New Delhi: Hours after Unnao rape case accused MLA Kuldeep Sengar was expelled from the BJP, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday said the BJP has finally acknowledged having empowered a criminal and taken some action to correct itself.
Faced with massive public outrage, the BJP expelled its jailed MLA, accused of raping a minor girl from Unnao and threatening her family.
"The BJP finally acknowledges having empowered a criminal and takes some action to correct itself and move in the direction of justice for a young woman who has suffered immeasurably," Priyanka Gandhi said in a tweet.
The action by the BJP against the four-time MLA came days after the woman and her lawyer were critically injured and two of her aunts killed when their car was hit by a speeding truck in Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh.
The girl's family has alleged that the accident on Sunday was an attempt to eliminate her.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court also directed the transfer of all five cases registered in connection with the Unnao rape incident from a court in Uttar Pradesh to a court in the national capital.
The apex court also directed the Uttar Pradesh government to provide Rs 25 lakh to the rape survivor as an interim compensation.
"Grateful to the SC for taking cognisance of the 'Jungle Raj' being unleashed in UP," Priyanka Gandhi said in a tweet, responding to the Supreme Court's order.
Earlier, Priyanka Gandhi said the question on the minds of all women and girls in Uttar Pradesh is whether voices against a resourceful person, who has done wrong, will be heard.
Her remarks came after a girl student in Barabanki in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday asked a senior police officer if she would face the same fate as the Unnao rape victim, who was recently injured in an accident.
In a tweet in Hindi, Priyanka Gandhi said, "'If some resourceful person does anything wrong then will our voices against him be heard'. This is the question posed to the Uttar Pradesh government by a girl student from Barabanki at a girls awareness rally".
"This question is on the minds of all girls and women in UP. BJP must answer," she said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
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
===================
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.
