Time has come for reforms in Muslim personal laws: Sushil Kumar Modi
Mumbai (PTI): BJP MP Sushil Kumar Modi on Wednesday stressed that the time has come for reforms in Muslim personal laws to ensure gender neutrality.
During a discussion on the topic of "Uniform Civil Code (UCC): Majoritarian Agenda or Much-needed Reform?" at the India Today Conclave here, he cited the practices of polygamy and "triple talaq" and said there is a need for gender neutrality in laws.
"The time has now come for bringing in reforms in the existing Muslim personal laws," Modi, a former deputy chief minister of Bihar, said.
Besides Modi, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi and women's right activist and lawyer Flavia Agnes participated in the discussion.
"What kind of law requires a divorced woman, who intends to get married to her first husband again, to first marry and get 'triple talaq' from another man to fulfil her wish?" the BJP leader asked.
Owaisi defended the personal laws and said, "The second wife of a Muslim man is entitled to maintenance and a separate house to live."
"She gets maintenance rights, a separate house to live in, and is called a wife. Whereas if a Hindu man marries a second wife, she is not even called a wife," he said.
Around 80 per cent of child marriages happened in Hindu communities, Owaisi further claimed.
Flavia Agnes spoke about the need to bring in gender justice in all laws.
On the Uniform Civil Code, BJP MP Modi said its first draft "can be expected sooner than later". "When the Hindu Code Bill was introduced in 1955, the Hindus vehemently opposed it. At the time, polygamy was more prominent among Hindus than Muslims," he said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
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
===================
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.
