'Tax terrorism' claims life of CCD owner in 'New India': Congress
New Delhi, Jul 31: The Congress alleged that "tax terrorism" under the Modi government has claimed the life of Cafe Coffee Day founder V G Siddhartha, whose body was found on the banks of the Netravathi river in Karnataka on Wednesday.
The death of 59-year-old Siddhartha, who police say appears to have committed suicide by jumping into the river near Mangaluru on Monday, left numb the business world as theories swirled over why he would have taken his life, ranging from harassment from tax authorities to possible undisclosed debt.
"The End for 'Ease of doing business'! 'Tax Terrorism' claims another life! The 'New India'!" Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said on Twitter.
The End for ‘Ease of doing business’!
— Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) July 31, 2019
‘Tax Terrorism’ claims another life!
The ‘New India’! pic.twitter.com/U6WdZifxwE
Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of betraying the people who voted for an independent and hassle-free economy, shortly after Siddhartha's body was found.
In a letter purportedly written by him, Siddhartha alleged harassment by the Income Tax Department, which has denied the charges.
He said the Income Tax Department attached "our shares on two separate occasions to block our Mindtree deal and then taking position of our Coffee Day shares, although revised returns have been filed by us".
The Congress has also given adjournment notices in Lok Sabha to discuss what led to the death of Siddhartha.
"There is an old notion of government has no business in business and Modi in his pre-2014 election campaign made a big deal about it. Today he has absolutely betrayed the people who voted for him to see a robust, independent, hassle free economy," Singhvi said on Twitter.
Singhvi also alleged that, "Since his re-election, Modi has tried majoritarianism, minoritarianism, Kashmir, Pakistan, Muslim women, Ram and even Man vs Wild to divert the attention of the people. From what exactly? Failing economy, rising unemployment, failing infra, farmers dying, failing law and order," he said in another tweet.
Condoling the demise of Siddhartha, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said his death reflected a "worrying trend".
"Ease of Doing Business" under BJP translates into "Ease of Ending Business". The #VGSiddhartha tragedy reflects the worst of a broader, deeply worrying trend," he tweeted.
The Congress's Karnataka unit on Wednesday sought an impartial and fair investigation into the death.
"Result of harassment by IT officials & decline of India's entrepreneurial position turning virulent by the day, with Tax Terror & collapse of economy. Companies which flourished under UPA have been shut down with many people being jobless (sic)," the state unit posted in its official handle.
Former Karnataka Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah said Siddhartha's death was "both disturbing and mysterious".
"The reasons and the invisible hands that ended his life in this tragic way should be unearthed through impartial and fair investigation," he said.
Karnataka Congress spokesperson Brijesh Kalappa said, "He was killed mercilessly by tax terrorists who are now seeking to besmirch his memory by selectively leaking material against him."
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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.
