All-party meeting ahead of budget Session: Opposition raises Adani issue
New Delhi (PTI): The government on Monday said it was willing to discuss every issue under rules during the Budget Session of Parliament and sought the support of the Opposition in running the proceedings smoothly.
Briefing the media after an all-party meeting convened by the government ahead of the Budget Session beginning Tuesday, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said the government was willing to discuss every issue in Parliament under rules. "We seek Opposition's cooperation" in running the House smoothly.
At the meet, Aam Aadmi Party's Sanjay Singh, RJD's Manoj Jha, DMK, Left parties and others raise the Adani issue and sought discussion on it in Parliament during the session.
The US-based short seller Hindenburg Research has accused the Adani Group of wrongdoing like stock manipulation. The company has dismissed the allegations as "nothing but a lie".
The YSR Congress demanded a nationwide caste-based economic census at the meet.
It is necessary to know the economic status of backward castes who are "lagging behind" on social and development indicators, the party said.
YSR Congress leader Vijaysai Reddy said backward castes are over 50 per cent of the total population and the census will help find their economic status.
The ruling party in Andhra Pradesh has joined the likes of the JD(U) and the RJD, both of which have demanded a caste census.
The grand alliance government in Bihar has rolled out a state-wide caste survey.
Reddy said his party also demanded the passage of the women quota bill for ensuring reservation for them in Parliament.
Parties including the TRS, TMC, and the BJD also supported the demand.
The Budget Session will begin from January 31 with President Droupadi Murmu's address to the joint sitting of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. The session will have 27 sittings and will continue till April 6 with a month-long recess to examine the budget papers.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Union Budget on February 1.
The first part of the Budget Session will conclude on February 14.
Parliament will reconvene on March 12 for the second part of the Budget Session.
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.
