Played important role in building progressive India: Kharge hails Indira Gandhi on death anniversary
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Tuesday paid rich tributes to former prime minister Indira Gandhi on her death anniversary with party chief Mallikarjun Kharge hailing her for playing an important role in building a strong and progressive India.
Indira Gandhi, India's first and only woman prime minister, was assassinated by her bodyguards on this day in 1984.
Kharge and former party chiefs Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi paid floral tributes to the ex-prime minister at her memorial 'Shakti Sthal' here.
In a post on X, Kharge posted a quote of Indira Gandhi to highlight her dedication to the country.
"Humble tributes to Indira Gandhi, India's first woman prime minister and our idol, who played an important role in building a strong and progressive India with her strong will, efficient leadership, unique working style and foresight, on her martyrdom day," Kharge said.
The Congress, in a post on X, said, "Heartfelt tributes to the country's first woman prime minister, Smt. Indira Gandhi, an example of strength, determination and strong leadership, on her death anniversary."
In a post on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said that today, "we mark the 39th anniversary of Indira Gandhi's martyrdom".
"On October 27, 1984, she fulfilled her long-cherished desire to see first-hand the chinar trees in Srinagar exploding into a spray of colours. She also visited her favourite Dachigam National Park and returned to Delhi on the night of October 28, 1984, when she wrote a foreword to a book by her ministerial colleague, Digvijay Sinh on environmental politics called The Eco-Vote'," Ramesh said.
This was perhaps the last written record of her as prime minister, he said.
She then went to Odisha where on the evening of Oct 30, 1984, she made her hauntingly famous speech, Ramesh said, adding, that the next morning she was "hurled into eternity".
Several Congress leaders paid rich tributes to Indira Gandhi on her death anniversary.
Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, former vice president Hamid Ansari, among others, also paid floral tributes to Indira Gandhi at her 1, Safdarjung Road residence, which has been turned into a memorial.
"Today, we solemnly remember and pay our humble tribute to Indira Gandhi ji, whose exemplary leadership and dedicated service towards the empowerment of the marginalised is a source of eternal inspiration for the nation," Kharge said in a post on his WhatsApp channel.
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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.
