12 suspended MPs not ready to apologise, what do we talk to opposition, Piyush Goyal says in RS
New Delhi, Dec 3: Amid a stalemate over the suspension of 12 opposition Rajya Sabha MPs, Leader of the House Piyush Goyal on Friday said how can there be a reconciliation when these members are unwilling to apologise for their unruly behaviour in the previous session.
The issue came up in the House when RJD leader Manoj Kumar Jha said in the Rajya Sabha that some BJP members "gatecrashed" the site in Parliament complex where the 12 suspended members were staging an agitation.
"Gatecrashing amounts to taking away the democratic values," Jha said.
As some Opposition members tried to raise this issue, Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu said that he wants to clear a misconception that the Leader of Opposition was not allowed to comment on the suspension of members.
The Leader of Opposition in the House was given five minutes to speak about it during Zero House on November 30, he said.
Naidu further said, "I hope all will work together to resolve this issue. I have suggested both the Leader of the House and the Leader of Opposition to discuss and ensure smooth functioning of the House."
At this, Goyal posed how can there be a reconciliation when the suspended members are not ready to tender an apology. "I want to understand from you sir, what does the Opposition expect from us?" he asked.
Claiming that some members of the opposition parties had approached him on this issue, Goyal told the House, "I said, I am happy to meet everybody but... a courtesy towards the Chair and nation is an apology. They said we cannot apologize."
The Leader of the House further said that he told the opposition members about past instances where he and the Chair had apologised for very minor issues.
"They (opposition members) feel what they have done is very legitimate and noble. In these circumstances, what do we talk to the Opposition?" he said.
"Some leaders of opposition parties and some suspended MPs have been making provocative" statements in the last few days. They are saying 'maafi kis baati ki' (What's there to apologise?). This shows they are endorsing the attack on marshals and unruly scenes in the House in the last session," he added.
The 12 opposition MPs were suspended from the Rajya Sabha on Monday for the entire Winter Session of Parliament for their "unruly" conduct in the previous session in August. The Opposition has termed the suspension as "undemocratic and in violation of all the Rules of Procedure" of the Upper House.
The suspended MPs include six from the Congress, two each from the Trinamool Congress and Shiv Sena, and one each from the CPI and CPI(M). They have been holding day-long protests in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue inside the Parliament complex and have decided to continue to do so every day till their suspension is revoked.
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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.
