Communal agenda of Sangh failed in Kerala due to strong Left movement: CM Pinarayi Vijayan
Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 6: The communal agenda of the Sangh Parivar failed to gain traction in Kerala due to the strong presence of the Left movement in the state, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Sunday.
Vijayan, while inaugurating a study centre in the memory of communist revolutionary P Krishna Pillai, said the RSS was attempting to pollute the public discourse by spreading their communal propaganda and creating doubts in the minds of people.
Vijayan also lashed out at the RSS over the recent procession at Thalassery with communally-laced slogans and the controversy over Halal certification of food.
"They have attempted various communal agenda to weaken the Left front but failed. Now they have been focused on polluting the public discourse. As part of it, they are creating confusion in society and spreading communal propaganda. They are bringing in their communal angle in every possible sphere of public life," Vijayan said.
He said the recent controversy over Halal food and Halal certification for prasadham served at Sabarimala was part of the Sangh Parivar agenda to spread "hate" in society.
"You all may have noticed the recent controversy over Halal food. Is that something new to our society? It's been said that even in Parliament, there is Halal certified food. The prasadham with Halal marking at Sabarimala turned out to be the one supplied by a Siva Sena leader.
Halal certification is part of the business strategy in various countries. And this is not done by someone from any one particular religion. The sangh parivar is spreading hate," he said.
Vijayan said the communal agenda of Sangh Parivar was effective in many other states and they were making use of the Congress Party.
"In Kerala, the Sangh Parivar failed to gain traction due to the strong presence of Left movement in the state," the CM said.
"We know the unfortunate situation of many states. Those states don't have the Left party and in such states, the BJP is growing at a faster pace by making use of the Congress to grow their base. Whereas the Congress claims to be secular, but can be seen toeing the line with communal politics to remain in power," he said.
Vijayan said Congress leaders have decided not to oppose communalism and as a result their leaders are raising the same arguments put forth by the BJP leadership.
The Left leader also said that the Communist movement in Kerala was successful because the farmers and other working class fought side by side for their rights without any basis of any religion.
"We have witnessed the class struggle. That's how our society grew. Recently, a survey result came out that Kerala has the highest minimum wages in the rural area. That was also a result of the Left struggle. The Sangh Parivar is trying to discard all such advancements," Vijayan said.
Attacking the BJP, the Left leader said for "our children have been studying together" without any hate or bias and there was a need to understand the divisive propaganda of the RSS.
"Creating hate among each other and creating a doubt in the minds of the people is the agenda of Sangh Parivar and such a study centre will make the next generation understand about such hateful propaganda," he said.
He referred to a recent procession by the RSS at Thalassery in which slogans were raised threatening to stop prayers in mosques.
"What is their agenda by raising such slogans? They very well know that their agenda will not work in Kerala. But they want to spread such propaganda into the minds of people," Vijayan said.
He said the clothes which people wear, the food, the culture of different societies, all are under attack from the Sangh Parivar and society needs to identify such threats.
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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.
