'Unemployment, scams, suicides': Cong slams BJP's 18-year-rule in Madhya Pradesh
New Delhi (PTI): Slamming the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh, the Congress on Saturday alleged that the state's youths have been "ruined" by the 18-year rule of the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government marked by "unemployment, scams and student suicides".
Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters here, Congress leader Shobha Oza claimed there are more than two crore youths in Madhya Pradesh and they are suffering due to lack of employment.
The 18 years of the BJP government have given only "scams" in the name of employment, she alleged.
"Today the youths of Madhya Pradesh are completely ruined. It is said that the basis of progress of any nation is its youth and only youth power which determines the present and future of the country and the future of such youth power has been ruined by 18 years of governance of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Madhya Pradesh," the former Mahila Congress chief said.
"Madhya Pradesh has seen a shameful era of terrible unemployment, suicides by students and scams in the last 18 years and all the mafias, be it liquor mafia, land mafia or sand mafia, they are flourishing in Madhya Pradesh under the protection of the government," she alleged.
The education mafia has also continued to flourish in Madhya Pradesh under the protection of the government, she alleged adding that the result of this has been "Vyapam scam, nursing recruitment scam, police constable recruitment scam, teacher recruitment scam and patwari recruitment scam".
"All the government jobs were lost to scams. Last year in 2022, about 40 lakh children and youth were registered in the Employment Exchange and it is shameful that out of them the government was able to provide jobs to only 21 people," she claimed.
The situation is that in Madhya Pradesh, there have hardly been any recruitment examinations in the last 18 years and the results of the recruitment examinations conducted have not been declared, Oza said.
Some of those who got results became victims of corruption, she added.
"If we talk about private jobs, then Madhya Pradesh is such a state, where nothing has come in the name of investment in the last 18 years, the Congress leader said.
Oza pointed out that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has announced the Congress's 'Padho Padhao' scheme under which children studying in class 1 to 8 will get a scholarship of Rs 500 per month, similarly children studying in class 9 and 10 will get a scholarship of Rs. 1,000 and the children studying in class 11 and 12 will get a scholarship of Rs 1,500 per month.
"We will try our best to provide both good education and employment to the youth of our state, so that they do not have to migrate," Oza said.
Assembly elections will be held in the state on November 17 and counting of votes will take place on December 3.
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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.
