In ancient India, people who consumed cow meat were labelled as untouchable: RSS leader
New Delhi, Aug 26: People who consumed cow meat were labelled as untouchable in ancient India and the words 'untouchability' and 'dalit' did not exist in ancient Indian literature, a senior RSS leader said on Monday.
Speaking at a book launch, Krishna Gopal, joint general secretary of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), noted that even the Constituent Assembly preferred using the word 'scheduled caste' over 'dalit'.
"It was the conspiracy of the British that the word dalit percolated (in society)," he said.
The RSS leader unveiled the books 'Bharat Ka Rajnitik Uttararayan' and Bharat Ka Dalit Vimarsh'. Culture and Tourism Minister Pralhad Patel was also present at the event.
"The first example of untouchability in India were the people who consumed cow meat being called untouchable. Even (B R) Ambedkar ji has written the same. (Bharat ke untouchability aayi toh pehle udharan hain, woh gai ka maas khate the, woh untouchable ghoshit hue. Yeh swayam Ambedkar ji ne bhi likha hain," Gopal said.
He said gradually this started percolating in the minds of people and a large section of the society was branded as untouchable. They were oppressed and insulted for a long time.
Gopal said sage Valmiki, who wrote Ramayana, was not a dalit but a shudra, and many great rishi were also shudras and they were highly respected.
Shudra is one of the four varnas, the other three being Bramhin, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas. It was also the lowest in the varna order.
In India, untouchability was banned through the Untouchability (Offences) Act 1955 which was later called The Protection of Civil Rights Act.
Gopal said that another example of untouchability was during the Islamic invasion during the time of Raja Dahir in the 8th century.
Dahir was the Hindu King of Sindh and was defeated by Mohammad-bin Kasim which marked the first Islamic invasion in India.
Gopal said the queens of Dahir killed themselves saying they will become 'untouchable' if they were touched by invaders.
The RSS leader also said the "important goals" of Christianity and Islam were "to convert those who did not believe in their practice".
No religion that originated in India believed in such practice, Gopal asserted.
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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.
