Asaduddin Owaisi's remarks trigger controversy; BJP compares him to Jinnah
AIMIM chief Owaisi alleges part of his speech being quoted out of context
New Delhi, Dec 24: AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi's remarks at a poll rally cautioning the Uttar Pradesh Police triggered a controversy on Friday with the BJP comparing him to Muhammad Ali Jinnah, even though he clarified that the context of his remarks was deliberately edited out to misrepresent it.
In a series of tweets, All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Owaisi shared a video clip which has been widely circulated on social media and said the remarks made by him were in the context of atrocities against Muslims by the state police, which has been edited out of the clip.
In the video clip shared by him, Owaisi is heard saying that Yogi Adityanath will not always be the chief minister and Narendra Modi the prime minister. "We will not forget the injustice. We will remember this injustice. Allah will destroy you through his strength. Things will change. Who will come to save you then? When Yogi will return to his mutt and Modi will retreat to the mountains, then who will come?" he said.
Owaisi said the edited one-minute clip of his 45-minute speech was being circulated to divert the attention from the alleged hate speeches made at a Dharma Sansad in Haridwar which he alleged as "genocidal meet".
"I did not incite violence or give threats. I talked about police atrocities.... I said we will remember these police atrocities. Is this objectionable? Why is it offensive to remember how police have treated Muslims in UP? I asked cops: who will come to save them when Modi-Yogi retire? Indeed, who will? Do they think they've lifetime immunity?" Owaisi tweeted while clarifying his position.
Taking on Owaisi over his remarks, BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi compared him to Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, and said AIMIM leaders are used to making such mischievous remarks.
"...soul of Jinnah resides in Owaisi," Trivedi said, adding that the Hyderabad MP's remarks are similar to that of Jinnah made in 1946, a year before partition, while talking about direct action.
BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya tweeted, "Owaisi, like (Mughal emperor) Aurangzeb and Jinnah, is the face of civilisational battle that Sanatan Dharma has faced for millennia. Balance of power is the need of the hour."
In order to distract from #HaridwarGenocidalMeet, a clipped 1 min video is being circulated from 45 min speech I gave in Kanpur. I’ll set the record straight:
— Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) December 24, 2021
1. I did not incite violence or give threats. I talked about POLICE ATROCITIES Here’s the full video in TWO PARTS [Cont] pic.twitter.com/buZWZmVNLa
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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.
