'Bribe for questions' allegation against Mahua Moitra character assassination campaign: CPIML(L)
Kolkata (PTI): CPIML(L) leader Dipankar Bhattacharya on Tuesday came out in support of Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra who has been facing allegations of taking bribes for raising questions in Parliament, claiming that it is a "character assassination" campaign against her by the BJP.
He said Moitra is known for her powerful speeches in Parliament against the Narendra Modi government, the RSS and the BJP.
Coming out in support of the TMC MP, the CPIML(L) leader claimed, in a Facebook post, that it is a "character assassination campaign against Mahua Moitra".
Darshan Hiranandani, the CEO of real estate-to-energy group Hiranandani, who allegedly paid Moitra to raise questions in Parliament about Adani Group, recently claimed in a signed affidavit that she targeted Gautam Adani to "malign and embarrass" Prime Minister Narendra Modi whose "impeccable reputation" gave opposition no opportunity to attack him.
BJP MP Nishikant Dubey and lawyer Jai Anant Dehadrai, last week, alleged that Moitra, the MP of Krishnanagar in West Bengal's Nadia district, had accepted favours from Hiranandani in exchange for raising questions in Parliament. In response, Moitra filed a defamation suit against them before the Delhi High Court.
Senior West Bengal minister Firhad Hakim had on Monday claimed that the allegation of 'bribe for questions' against Moitra was levelled in an attempt to discredit her as she is vocal in her opposition against the BJP-led government at the Centre.
TMC spokesperson Derek O'Brien had on Sunday said that while Moitra on the advice of her party clarified her position regarding the allegations, the leadership would wait for the report of the parliamentary panel that is looking into the matter before taking an "appropriate decision".
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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.
