Congress slams PM over situation in Manipur, says situation has turned from bad to worse in state
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Wednesday questioned the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the situation in Manipur, and alleged that never before has a PM completely "abandoned" a state and its entire people like now.
Congress general secretary, communications, Jairam Ramesh said that Manipur coming to such a situation after the BJP was elected to power there 15 months ago is a "most damning indictment of its policies and the prime minister's priorities".
He charged that five months back, on the evening of May 3, Manipur erupted because of the "divisive politics of the so-called double engine sarkar" there.
After almost a month, after being relieved from Karnataka election duties and other such urgent matters, the home minister deemed it fit to visit the state, he said.
"But there has been no marked improvement. In fact things have turned from bad to worse. Social harmony has broken down completely. Horrific details of violent crimes emerge every other day. Tens of thousands continue to languish in relief camps. Clashes between the Armed forces and the state police are routine," the Congress leader said on X.
"Yet the prime minister has been completely silent except for a much belated, routine and ritualistic comment for less than 5 mins in a 133 minute speech in the Lok Sabha on August 10th. The chief minister continues to brazen it out despite majority of BJP MLAs wanting him out of office," Ramesh said.
He said there are some questions to ponder over and asked when was the last time the prime minister visited Manipur.
"When was the last time the prime minister spoke to the BJP CM of Manipur? When was the last time the prime minister met BJP MLAs of Manipur? When was the last time the prime minister discussed Manipur with his cabinet colleague from the state?
"Never before has a prime minister completely abandoned a state and its entire people like now.That Manipur has come to this horrendous situation just about 15 months after the BJP got a huge mandate in the state is a most damning indictment of its policies and the prime minister's priorities," Ramesh charged.
The Congress has been questioning the prime minister's silence and asked why he has not taken out the time to visit the violence-hit state.
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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.
