Condemn attack on our leaders by 'BJP goons' following Cong's Agartala bypoll win: Rahul Gandhi
New Delhi, Jun 26: The Congress on Sunday alleged that its leaders and workers were attacked by "BJP goons" following the opposition party's win in the Agartala bypoll and demanded that those guilty be brought to justice as well as BJP chief J P Nadda apologise for it.
The Congress also said if the Tripura government is unable to handle law and order, then President's rule will be "necessary" in the state.
The opposition party said a three-member delegation comprising MPs Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Gaurav Gogoi and Naseer Hussain will visit Tripura on Monday to take stock of the situation and prepare a report on this "heinous attack".
At least 19 people, including Tripura PCC chief Birajit Sinha, were injured in a clash between Congress and BJP supporters in front of the Congress Bhavan in Agartala after the results of the by-elections to the four Assembly seats in the state were declared. Police fired tear gas to disperse the mob.
The BJP won three seats and the Congress one.
Taking to Twitter, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said, "I strongly condemn the vicious attack on our leaders & workers by BJP goons following @INCIndia's win in the Agartala bypoll."
"The people are with us. Shameful that the police stood as mute spectators instead of stopping the attack. These BJP goons must be brought to justice," the former Congress chief said.
In a tweet in Hindi, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said crores of Congress workers and leaders will brave the BJP's violence by standing like a rock with their counterparts in Tripura.
"No matter how many violent tactics the BJP adopts, the defeat of these violent tactics is certain in the field of democracy," she said.
In a statement, Congress general secretary in-charge, organisation, K C Venugopal said the party strongly condemns the "mindless attack" on the Congress Bhavan and the brutal assault on the Tripura PCC president by "BJP goons" after the thumping victory of party candidate Sudip Roy Barman in the Agartala bypoll.
"This barbarous attack happened even as the police passively looked on while BJP goons vandalised properties and carried out blatantly violent attacks on our party office-bearers," Venugopal said.
"It is utterly shameful that the police stood as mute and complicit spectators while the goons stormed the office and attacked our office-bearers. The BJP goons were freely roaming with rods and sticks and threw stones inside the office," he alleged.
"The PCC president sustained injuries and was admitted to hospital following the attack," Venugopal said.
"This cruel act happened after the Congress party candidate Sudip Roy Burman emerged victorious in the prestigious by-poll for the Agartala assembly seat. Earlier, the BJP goons had mercilessly attacked S Burman and he had sustained serious injuries," he said.
The "desperate" BJP is unable to accept the people's verdict, Venugopal said.
"We demand an apology from the BJP president J P Nadda and an investigation by (Union) Home Minister Shri Amit Shah into why these attacks occurred. If the state government is unable to handle law and order, then the President's Rule will be necessary," he said.
The Congress urged the authorities to take strict action against the culprits and ensure the safety of its offices and office-bearers.
In a video statement from Guwahati, AICC Tripura in-charge Ajoy Kumar alleged that the Congress office in Agartala was attacked by BJP workers.
"The Congress Bhavan is right next to the police station. Despite this, BJP goons attacked using knives and pelted stones. You can imagine what kind of law and order is there in Tripura," he said.
"People of the country should see how political opponents are being attacked by the BJP in Tripura. The BJP government there, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah are silent on it," he said.
Congress media in-charge in Tripura Congress Asish Kumar Saha said jubilant party supporters returned to the Congress Bhavan from the counting hall with Barman around 1 pm.
"When they were preparing for lunch, a strong group of BJP supporters attacked the Congress Bhavan. The Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee president was hit on the head with bricks while one Congress worker, identified as Romi Miah, was stabbed by BJP supporters," he said.
I strongly condemn the vicious attack on our leaders & workers by BJP goons following @INCIndia’s win in the Agartala bypoll.
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) June 26, 2022
The people are with us. Shameful that the police stood as mute spectators instead of stopping the attack.
These BJP goons must be brought to justice. https://t.co/8Kul4zBswK
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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.
