Police will examine Hamas leader's speech at Kerala event, says CM Vijayan
Kochi (PTI): Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday said the alleged virtual address by a Hamas leader at an Islamist group's event in the state recently would be examined by police, and if something wrong has happened, appropriate action would be taken.
The CM alleged that the BJP was aiming at implicating people in false cases for merely expressing support for Palestine, and asserted that it would not be permitted in Kerala.
He pointed out that the state and the country have always supported Palestine, and it is only now that the stance has changed at the Centre.
Vijayan was responding to a query inviting his attention to remarks by BJP chief J P Nadda and Union Minister of State for Electronics Rajeev Chandrasekhar that neither the Left government nor the police intervened to prevent the Hamas leader's address.
The CM said the address appears to have been a recorded one, and what was said in it has to be examined.
"The person referred to as a Palestinian warrior spoke at an event organised by the Solidarity Youth Movement, the youth wing of Jamaat-e-Islami. We need to see what he said.
"It appears that the speech was a recorded one. We need to understand that issue properly," he said, speaking to reporters at Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) here.
He further said that when Jamaat-e-Islami or any other organisation approaches the police for permission to hold an event, it is not denied. "That is what happened in the instant case," he said, adding, "If something is wrong in that, the police will examine it, and action will be taken."
At the same time, he alleged that Chandrasekhar and his friends "are trying to find ways to lodge cases against those who are showing support for Palestine".
"They are trying to implicate them (Palestine supporters) in cases. That will not happen in Kerala," the CM said.
Referring to Hamas leader Khaled Mashal's virtual participation in a protest programme organised by an Islamist group in the state recently against Israel's war with the militant outfit, Nadda alleged that he spoke openly about his organisation and that the Left government was a "silent spectator".
"What does it mean? You are bringing a bad name to the land of 'God's Own Country' Kerala", Nadda said, while addressing workers of the BJP-led NDA who laid siege to three of the four gates of the Kerala Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram in protest against the alleged misrule of the Left government in the state.
Chandrasekhar, at a press conference here, said the Hamas chief was given an opportunity, with no intervention by the Kerala government or police, to address a large gathering of youth and incite them with radicalism."
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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.
