Ban Home Minister Amit Shah, UP CM Yogi Adityanath from campaigning in Karnataka: Congress to EC
New Delhi, Apr 28: The Congress urged the Election Commission (EC) on Friday to ban Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath from campaigning for the May 10 Karnataka Assembly polls for their alleged derogatory statements against the minority community that create an atmosphere of communal disharmony.
A delegation of Congress leaders, including Abhishek Singhvi, Pawan Kumar Bansal and Mukul Wasnik, met the chief election commissioner and the election commissioners, and requested the poll panel to ensure a level-playing field in the southern state.
The Congress will also seek all legal options with regard to the "vishkanya" remark made against former party chief Sonia Gandhi by a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader in Karnataka on Friday.
The delegation alleged that Shah and Adityanath made "false", "partisan" and "communal" statements during the poll campaign in Karnataka with a view to seek electoral gains, and said they should be banned from campaigning in the state.
The Congress accused Shah and Adityanath of trying to create an atmosphere of communal disharmony in Karnataka by circulating unverified, false, malicious and communally-charged allegations in their poll speeches.
The opposition party said the EC should immediately take action against the two leaders.
"The ECI should impose a clear and complete ban on Mr Amit Shah from all campaign activities till the conclusion of the election and further direct a ban on circulation of the videos of the rally with offending portions," a memorandum signed by All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Randeep Surjewala and submitted to the poll panel said.
Briefing reporters outside the EC office here, Singhvi said, "We have just finished a very productive and important meeting with the EC. We complained specifically about the highly objectionable, blatantly partisan, communal and false statements coming from the top BJP leadership, in particular Home Minister Amit Shah and the Uttar Pradesh chief minister.
"They have made statements clearly against the minority community.... We have asked for a ban on campaigning by such persons."
Asked about the "vishkanya" (venomous) remark made against Gandhi by BJP leader Basangouda Patil Yatnal, Singhvi said the Congress will explore all legal options available to it, including moving the EC.
"It is a very derogatory and gutter-level remark against Sonia Gandhi.... We will use all legal options, including (moving) the EC," he said.
The Congress memorandum alleged: "Shah, in his desperation to improve their chances in the upcoming election, has sought to incite the law-abiding voters of the state of Karnataka by knowingly delivering false, baseless and uncertified statements before tens of thousands of voters, the video recording of which has even been circulated by the BJP to a far larger audience."
"In doing so, he and the organisers of the rally have committed serious electoral offences which are not only violative of this guideline but are also punishable under the Indian Penal Code, 1860," it said.
On April 25, the Congress claimed that Shah, along with several other BJP leaders, addressed a gathering at Karnataka's Vijayapura and their objective was to create an atmosphere of communal disharmony among the crowd that had gathered at the venue and those hearing the speeches on media platforms. The party had also alleged that these speeches were aimed at maligning the Congress on the basis of statements known to be false.
Quoting the home minister, the opposition party claimed that Shah had said, "Siddaramaiah, former chief minister of Karnataka, had released all PFI workers who were earlier kept in custody, and it was the BJP government that had to locate and jail them again."
It alleged that Shah had also stated that "the Indian National Congress has given an election promise that if it is elected to form the government in Karnataka, it will lift the ban on the PFI".
"In addition and more worryingly, coming from the union home minister himself is the statement that if the Indian National Congress wins the upcoming elections, then the entire state of Karnataka will be 'afflicted with communal riots'.
"The statements made by Amit Shah are likely to incite any class or community of persons to commit any offence against any other class or community and indirectly threaten to try to mislead electors into voting for a particular political party and candidate," the Congress said.
The opposition party also claimed that addressing a poll rally in the southern state on April 26, Adityanath said "the Congress is an expert in appeasement politics as it is supporting banned outfits like the PFI in Karnataka.... The BJP's double-engine government has banned the PFI and broken its backbone. There have been no riot or curfew in Uttar Pradesh in the last six years".
"We ask that the ECI ban Shri Yogi Adityanath from all campaign activities till the conclusion of the election," the Congress memorandum said.
The opposition party also raised the issue of the BJP candidate from Chamarajanagar and Varuna constituencies, V Somanna, allegedly offering a bribe of Rs 50 lakh to Janata Dal (Secular) nominee Mallikarjun Swamyand and promising a government vehicle for him in return for withdrawing his candidature.
ALSO READ: JD(S) promises to restore 4 per cent reservation for Muslims in election manifesto
The Congress has sought the cancellation of Somanna's nomination from both the seats. At Varuna, Somanna is pitted against Siddaramaiah, the chief ministerial aspirant of the Congress.
Polling for the Karnataka Assembly is scheduled to be held on May 10 and the counting of votes will be taken up on May 13. The BJP is in power in the southern state.
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.
