Farm law repeal: Better late than never, protest over other demands to go on, say farmers at Singhu
New Delhi (PTI): Celebrations broke out at the Singhu border protest site soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced repealing the farm laws, but some farmers said the agitation will continue till Parliament repeals the legislations and their other demands are met.
Distributing sweets and dancing to songs blaring out of music systems placed on tractors, farmers, who have been camping at the Singhu border for nearly a year, were a happy lot on Friday.
The fight, however, is not over yet and the protest sites, which have turned into their home for a year, will not be vacated, the agitators asserted.
"Better late than never. We knew that the decision of repealing the law will come with the grace of babaji and this has come on Guru Purab. We have the blessings of Guru Nanak Dev ji.
"However, the struggle is not over. The protest will continue till the time repealing of laws come into effect," said Hardeep Singh, a protester.
Echoing his sentiments, Daler Singh from Hoshiarpur, said, "News about repealing the laws is very satisfactory. However, the government should also think about the family members of the 750 farmers who lost their lives during the protest. The government should give compensation and a job to one of their family members."
Thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh under the aegis of various farmers unions have been protesting at the borders of the national capital since November 26 last year demanding repeal of the three farm laws.
Farmers have been demanding that the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; Farmers' (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020; and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020; be rolled back and a new law made to guarantee the minimum support price for crops.
The Centre, which has held 11 rounds of formal dialogue with farmers, had maintained that the new laws are pro-farmer, while the protesters claim they would be left at the mercy of corporations because of the laws
However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Friday that the Centre will repeal the three farm laws, marking a climbdown by his government to meet the unrelenting demand of farmers protesting in several states against the reform measures for over a year.
Modi also announced the formation of a committee to promote zero budget-based agriculture, a term for farming based on natural fertilizers and local seeds, to change crop patterns as per the changing needs of the country and to make minimum support price (MSP) more effective and transparent.
The committee will have representatives of the Central and state governments, farmers, agricultural scientists, and agricultural economists, he said.
Harmesh Singh Dhesi of Kirti Kisan Union, who was busy celebrating at the Singhu border, said, "The laws were passed in the parliament and they will be repealed there only. We also want to go to our homes. The day government repealed these laws, we will return home. We do not want any kind of committee on MSP as there are already so many panels at the state and central levels. We want a guarantee of MSP".
Farmer leader Balwant Singh said, "We welcome Prime Minister Narender Modi's decision of repealing the three farm laws. We will not move from the protest sites till the time we get the notification regarding the repealing of laws. We also want a guarantee on MSP."
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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.
