Rahul's 'Satyameva Jayate' postponed to April 9, event coincides with PM Modi's programme in Mysuru
Bengaluru, Mar 31: Poll-bound Karnataka will witness a 'clash of the Titans' on April 9 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress top leader Rahul Gandhi will have different events that day, with the opposition party rescheduling Gandhi's programme that would now coincide with that of the PM.
Disqualified Congress MP Gandhi's scheduled event, 'Satyameva Jayate' at Kolar on April 5 has been postponed to April 9, a senior Congress functionary said on Friday.
The new date for the event coincides with the golden jubilee celebration of "Project Tiger", which PM Modi will launch on April 9.
"Rahul Gandhi lost his Lok Sabha membership after the court sentenced him to two years jail for his speech. Hence, the party has decided to launch its fight to save the Constitution from Kolar," the party's state working president Saleem Ahmed told reporters in Kolar.
He added the current developments in India made one think whether it is still a democratic country.
According to Congress sources, the party intentionally chose April 9 to launch its event when Modi will be in Mysuru. A no-holds-barred electoral battle between archrivals, the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress is on the cards for the May 10 Assembly polls.
"The phrase Satyameva Jayate is the slogan below the national emblem of four lions. So, we will see the power of truth similar to the strength of four lions coming together against Project Tiger," a senior Congress functionary, requesting anonymity, quipped.
Incidentally, it was at Kolar during the 2019 election campaign that Gandhi made the Modi surname remark which resulted in his conviction by a Gujarat local court recently, following which he was disqualified as a member of Parliament. He was representing Wayanad from Kerala in the Lok Sabha.
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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.
