Mallikarjun Kharge accuses BJP of misleading house on Vande Mataram, defending Nehru
New Delhi: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday accused BJP leaders of misleading the Rajya Sabha over facts related to Vande Mataram. He asserted that the Congress requires no lessons from the ruling party on nationalism, patriotism, or the national song.
Kharge alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have repeatedly disrespected former Congress leaders, including India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.
Participating in a Rajya Sabha discussion on Vande Mataram, Kharge said the Prime Minister had “misled the House” regarding past correspondence between Nehru and Subhas Chandra Bose. He added that leaders who did not sing Vande Mataram during the freedom struggle are “now singing the national song”.
Kharge said BJP’s allegations against Congress leaders are “far from the truth” and demanded an apology. He argued that the country is facing serious issues, declining rupee value, unemployment and economic stress, which should be prioritised instead of unnecessary controversies.
He criticised attempts to “divert attention” by targeting Nehru, stating that such attacks disrespect not only Nehru but also national icons such as Rabindranath Tagore and Bose, as well as freedom fighters who sacrificed their lives.
Kharge claimed he has been singing Vande Mataram for 60 years and highlighted that the Congress has a long tradition of singing the national song at party conventions, making it an anthem of the freedom struggle. He noted that the Congress Working Committee, including Mahatma Gandhi, Subhas Chandra Bose and Madan Mohan Malviya, had decided to recite only the first two verses.
The Congress chief also accused non-Congress parties of failing to participate in the freedom struggle and said some had even “disrespected the Constitution” by burning copies alongside effigies of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.
He reiterated that Congress has always respected Vande Mataram, recalling that a special postage stamp was released during Indira Gandhi’s tenure to mark the song’s 100th anniversary.
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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.
