BJP 'deceived' Lord Ram, siphoned funds meant for temple in Ayodhya: Gujarat Cong leader
Ahmedabad, May 24: Senior Gujarat Congress leader Bharatsinh Solanki on Tuesday claimed that the ruling BJP had "deceived" Lord Ram by siphoning off funds meant for the construction of a Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
The former Gujarat Congress president, while a gathering of OBCs in Dholka town in Ahmedabad district, claimed 'Ram Shilas', bricks with Shri Ram inscribed on them, were lying uncared for on the outskirts of villages.
The BJP slammed the Congress leader for his comments and said they reflected "hatred" his party has for the Ram Temple coming up in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh.
"Though the government gave crores of rupees for the construction of a Ram Temple, they went from door to door to collect funds in the name of Ram Temple. When I once asked what they do with this money, they said 'we throw the notes in the air, Ram keeps whatever he wants, while we keep notes which fall on the ground'," Solanki alleged.
"In the past (when the Ram Janmbhoomi movement started), I saw women applying vermilion on 'Ram Shilas' and putting them on the outskirts of their village after taking out processions hoping that a Ram Temple will be built one day. Now these shilas lie in utter neglect. If these people (BJP) can deceive Ram, will they spare the common man?" asked the former Union minister.
Taking strong exception, BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi, who was in Gandhinagar during the day, said Solanki's comments on Lord Ram prove how much the Congress "hates" the Ram Mandir, which the saffron party leader said was the biggest centre of Hindu faith.
"When the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi movement began, the BJP had two seats while they (the Congress) held 414 seats in the Lok Sabha (in 1984). Today, we have over 300 seats, while they came down to 44 (in 2014) and then to 52 (in 2019). Cultural issues should be handled with complete honesty instead of indulging in dirty politics," Trivedi said.
However, Solanki later offered an explanation claiming he was targeting the BJP and not disrespecting Lord Ram.
"I was only highlighting that Ram Shilas were sent with so much faith by the people but they (the BJP) did not take care (of them)," Solanki told reporters after the event.
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.
