Muslims should get what is due to them: Maulana Mohammed Maqsood Imran Rashadi
Bengaluru (PTI): Chief Imam and Khateeb of Jamia Masjid in Bengaluru Maulana Mohammed Maqsood Imran Rashadi on Thursday said Muslims should be given whatever is due for them, with regard to the four per cent reservation for them in jobs.
The BJP government led by Basavaraj Bommai decided to scrap the four per cent reservation for Muslims in government jobs and educational institutions weeks ahead of Karnataka Assembly polls on May 10.
The Chief Imam was reacting to the Supreme Court's observation that the Karnataka government's decision raising the quota for Vokkaligas and Lingayats by two per cent each while scrapping the four per cent reservation for OBC Muslims prima facie appeared to be on a "highly shaky ground" and "flawed".
The Karnataka government made the 2B category redundant by removing the four per cent reservation given to the Muslims and placed them in the Economically Weaker Section category.
At the same time, the government distributed the four per cent equally to Vokkaligas in 2C and Lingayats in 2D category of the OBC. The government also said that the reservation for Muslims in Category-1 and 2A of the Other Backward Castes has not been touched.
"We believe that whatever is due for Muslims should be given just as others are getting. Rest is left to Allah whom we believe in," Rashadi told PTI.
He asserted that the four per cent reservation under the 2B category of the Other Backward Castes to the Muslims was not on the basis of religion but community. Muslims were getting the reservation as was given to others.
"Government has said that this reservation was on the basis of religion and this was wrong and baseless. This was the reason why we approached the Supreme Court," the maulana said.
The court has posted the matter for further hearing on April 18.
Meanwhile, retired IAS officer S M Jamadar, who spearheaded a campaign for separate Lingayat religion, welcomed the decision saying that the apex court had made an appropriate, just and fair observation.
"Just for the sake of election and to woo people, denying the rights of a community is unheard of and unthinkable," the retired officer said.
There was no immediate reaction from the Vokkaliga Sangha. Also, neither the government nor the opposition Congress or the JD(S) reacted to the development.
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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.
