In 'New India' will only 'friends' be heard and not country's heroes: Rahul criticising Agnipath
New Delhi, Jun 24: Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday shared a tweet by Param Vir Chakra awardee Capt Bana Singh criticising the Agnipath scheme for military recruitment and asked whether only "friends" will be heard 'new India' and not heroes.
Sharing the tweet, he also attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying on one side is his arrogance and dictatorship and on the other is the country's 'Paramvir'.
Last week, violent protests against the Agnipath scheme rocked several states, including Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Telangana, while peaceful agitations were held in several places.
"On one side is the country's Paramvir and on the other is the arrogance and dictatorship of the prime minister. In 'New India', will only 'friends' be heard and not the heroes of the country," Gandhi asked in a tweet in Hindi, while sharing a screenshot of Capt Bana Singh's tweet.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh also shared the screenshot of Capt Bana Singh's tweet.
"The fact that a Paramvir Chakra Awardee had to delete an honest, heartfelt tweet against Agnipath scheme demonstrates that in Modindia not only Freedom of Speech, but Freedom AFTER Speech is also under peril," he said.
Capt Bana Singh, a Paramvir Chakra awardee, in a Twitter post, had shared his interview saying the Agnipath scheme will destroy the Army.
"Save the country, Agnipath scheme will badly damage us, India is going through a crucial stage. Youngsters are the future of our motherland," he had said on Twitter.
The tweet has since been deleted.
एक तरफ़ देश के परमवीर हैं और दूसरी तरफ़ प्रधानमंत्री का घमंड और तानाशाही।
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) June 24, 2022
क्या ‘नए भारत’ में सिर्फ़ ‘मित्रों’ की सुनवाई होगी, देश के वीरों की नहीं? pic.twitter.com/mHKU5XKIub
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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.
