Kejriwal writes to PM Modi on NEET counselling; says doctors should be in hospitals not streets
New Delhi, Dec 28: Amid the ongoing protest by resident doctors in Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to look into ways to "personally resolve" the issue, as he asserted that doctors should be in hospitals not streets, when the coronavirus cases are rising again.
In his letter, he also urged the prime minister to ensure that the NEET-PG counselling process is expedited.
"On one hand, the Omicon variant of the coronavirus is spreading at an alarming speed, on the other, doctors in hospitals under the central government in Delhi are on strike," Kejriwal said in the letter.
In a tweet, he shared a copy of the letter, and also wrote on Twitter: "We strongly condemn the police brutality inflicted on the doctors. The Prime Minister must accept their demands soon.
Intensifying their stir over the delay in NEET-PG 2021 counselling, resident doctors in Delhi on Tuesday gathered in a large number on the premises of Centre-run Safdarjung Hospital, even as police personnel were deployed to ensure maintanence of law and order.
Their protest, a day earlier had taken a dramatic turn, as medics and police personnel had faced off in streets, with both sides claiming several persons suffered injury in the ensuing melee.
Also, later in the day on Tuesday, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya held a meeting with a delegation of protesting resident doctors and urged them to call off their strike over delay in NEET PG counselling in the larger interest of the public.
In his letter, Kejriwal said that doctors have been on strike for several days, and they served during the pandemic by risking their life, and urged the prime minister to "personally resolve the issue at the earliest".
"COVID-19 cases are rising again. The doctors should be in the hospitals, not in the streets," he wrote.
However, police on Monday had denied any allegations of lathicharge or use of abusive language from their end, and said, 12 protestors were detained and released later.
Kejriwal in his letter said that these are the same doctors that have treated Covid patients over the last year-and-a-half, without caring about their own lives during the pandemic.
He added that numerous doctors have lost their lives to the deadly virus, but they continued to work tirelessly, and did not neglect their duty.
Resident doctors at many big government hospitals like Safdarjung, Ram Manohar Lohia are on strike for the last one month due to repeated postponement of NEET-PG counselling. It is a matter of deep despair that even after their persistent struggle, the demands of these resident doctors were not listened to by the central government, he added.
"However, it is even more upsetting that yesterday, when these doctors were protesting peacefully, the police behaved violently and harassed them," the chief minister alleged.
"Delay in NEET-PG counselling not only affects the future of these doctors but at the same time also causes a shortage of doctors in the hospitals. The burden on the rest of the doctors increases due to this as well. I request the central government to conduct NEET-PG counselling as soon as possible," Kejriwal added.
केंद्र के डॉक्टर कई दिनों से हड़ताल पर हैं। इन्होंने कोरोना में अपनी जान की बाज़ी लगाकर सेवा की। कोरोना फिर बढ़ रहा है। इन्हें अस्पताल में होना चाहिए, ना कि सड़कों पर
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) December 28, 2021
इन पर जो पुलिस बर्बरता की गई, हम उसकी कड़ी निंदा करते हैं। PM साहिब इनकी माँगे जल्द मानें। PM को मेरा पत्र pic.twitter.com/yE5waHecAz
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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.
