Left parties moves EC to defer release of PM biopic, terms it 'propaganda material'
New Delhi: A delegation of the CPI and the CPI(M) has met Election Commission officials and demanded that release of the film based on the life of Prime Minister Narendra Modi be deferred, claiming it to be a "propaganda material".
CPI's D Raja and CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Nilotpal Basu met the poll panel officials on Monday and also pointed out serious law and order situations in Tripura and West Bengal.
"The delegation had a detailed discussion with the Election Commission on the release of the biopic on Narendra Modi. The delegation pointed out that there are well-established precedents on withholding the release of such propaganda materials during the pendency of the elections. The Election Commission, however, was non-committal," a statement from the two Left parties said on Tuesday.
The delegation also reiterated the demand of matching the VVPAT records with those of the EVM for randomly chosen 50 per cent of the booths. The Election Commission pointed out that as per the Supreme Court direction, the Commission will be submitting an affidavit on March 28 on this subject.
"The delegation also pointed out the serious law and order situation in Tripura and West Bengal, where the ruling party goons are particularly targeting the Left Front and its candidates," the statement said.
They also raised the Kolkata airport incident involving the wife of Abhishek Banerjee, MP and Trinamool Congress candidate in Diamond Harbour and the nephew of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
The delegation urged that there should be a probe by the Commission to ascertain the truth as this has financial implications and a possible impact on free and fair polls.
The Congress party too had moved Election Commission to get the release of the biopic, with Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi playing Modi, deferred till the final phase voting in the Lok Sabha polls ie, May 19.
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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.
