Congress slams ministry probe into accounts of Adani group's two Mumbai airports, calls it 'sham'
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Saturday termed as an "eyewash" and "sham" the reported probe by the corporate affairs ministry into the accounts of Adani Enterprises' two airports in Mumbai and reiterated its demand for a JPC probe into the Adani issue.
The opposition party has been questioning the financial dealings of billionaire Gautam Adani's Group after US research firm Hindenburg alleged "irregularities" and charged it with stock price manipulation.
The Adani Group has denied all the allegations made in the Hindenburg report and claimed there had been no wrongdoing on its part.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh cited a media report which quoted Adani Enterprises as saying that the corporate affairs ministry was investigating the accounts of the group's two airports in the country's financial capital of Mumbai.
"As Adani group's skeletons tumble out of the closet on a daily basis, the government is desperately trying to save face by switching to a PR mode to show that it is taking action against PM Modi's favourite business group," Ramesh said in a post on X.
When will the government investigate how the Adani group was awarded six out of six airports over the objections of the NITI Aayog and the Department of Economic Affairs, he asked.
"When will it probe how the ED and CBI raided the previous owners of Mumbai airport when they were unwilling to sell to the Adani group, and how the case went into deep freeze after the PM's best friend took control of India's second busiest airport?" Ramesh said.
"This sham investigation will end up where previous Modi-era probes into the Adani group have gone nowhere!" he said.
Such eyewash fools no one, Ramesh said, adding that only a Joint Parliamentary Committee can reveal the truth behind the "Modani Mega Scam".
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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.
