'Showing up is half the battle': Rahul Gandhi on PM's first appearance at press conference
New Delhi:The Congress on Friday mocked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not taking any questions in his first appearance at a press conference, with party president Rahul Gandhi saying "showing up is half the battle".
The Congress charge against Modi and Amit Shah was led by Gandhi after the PM showed up on the dais for a scheduled press conference by the BJP chief, who gave a report card on the performance of the NDA government as well as party's extensive electioneering.
"Congratulations Modi Ji. Excellent Press Conference! Showing up is half the battle. Next time Mr Shah may even allow you to answer a couple of questions. Well done," Gandhi tweeted.
In his opening remarks during the presser, Modi asserted the BJP will come back to power with a full majority on its own, but refused to take any questions, citing party discipline.
Gandhi said it is "very impressive" to see the PM address his first press conference a few days before the Lok Sabha election results are out.
"The PM's first press conference is coming 4-5 days before the election results. The PM is accompanying Amit Shah in the press briefing. It is unprecedented. Very good. I am told the doors have also been shut, as journalists who want to ask questions have been blocked. It is a great press conference," he told reporters.
Gandhi addressed a press conference almost at the same time as Amit Shah and Modi did.
"I want to ask the prime minister why he did not hold a debate on the Rafale issue? I want to ask you why did you give Rs 30,000 crore to Anil Ambani. I was ready to come to Race Course road to hold a debate with Modi," Gandhi said, posing a question at his press conference.
The Anil Ambani firm and the government have repeatedly denied allegations of corruption in the Rafale deal.
Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel said in a tweet, "Never seen a press conference where someone else is answering questions on your behalf. There was no need to lower the dignity of the office of the Prime Minister just to prove a point."
Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala also said on Twitter, "Modi ji's first and last press conference became Amit Shah's crutches...one hour speech, tired journalists and sermons to them, no question, no answer.
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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.
