Modi got 'troubled' in 15 minutes, while farmers camped for a year: Navjot Singh Sidhu
'Security breach ploy to divert attention from empty chairs at PM Modi’s rally'
Chandigarh, Jan 6: Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu on Thursday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was troubled with only 15 minutes of wait whereas farmers protested against the farm laws for a year.
In a "major security lapse", Modi's convoy was left stranded on a flyover in Ferozepur on Wednesday after some protesting farmers blocked the road forcing the PM to return from poll-bound Punjab without attending any event or rally.
I want to ask Pradhan Mantri Sahab, our farmer brothers camped at the Delhi borders for over one year ... tell me, they stayed there for one and half-year. Your media did not say anything. And yesterday you had to wait for 15 minutes, Sidhu said addressing a rally at Barnala.
Why these double standards, he asked.
He alleged instead of doubling farmers' income as promised, Modi took whatever little the farmers had.
He said only 500 people turned up at the BJP rally which was to be addressed by Modi at Ferozepur.
Sidhu also called former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh shameless for addressing empty chairs at the rally.
Later, Sidhu in a tweet alleged that the whole event was to divert attention from the low turnout at the rally.
PM couldn't have addressed empty chairs like shameless Ex CM Captain (Amarinder Singh). Only way out was to divert media attention to the alleged security threat & save humiliation of addressing 500 people on 70000 chairs.
"This is a colossal failure of BJP in Punjab. They were like a burst balloon!! he wrote.
Addressing a press conference earlier in the day, Punjab BJP chief Ashwani Sharma dismissed as baseless claims that not many turned up for the BJP's Ferozepur rally and alleged that the state police was instructed not to allow party workers from reaching the rally site.
He alleged the government was deliberately preventing the Prime Minister to inaugurate developmental projects worth thousands of crores, as it feared the BJP will gain public support.
"Congress leaders say that chairs were empty at the Ferozepur rally, but despite obstacles our workers faced, thousands reached the rally venue. You should question the government why were our buses were stopped at several places?" asked Sharma.
Activists of Bharatiya Kisan Union (Krantikari) on Wednesday had blocked the road near village Piareana on Ferozepur-Moga road as part of their protest.
The PM's convoy got stuck on a flyover for 15-20 minutes when it reached near village Piareana on Ferozepur-Moga road.
Faced with the blockade, the PM's convoy drove back to Bathinda airport.
Modi after landing in Bathinda on Wednesday had to take the road route to Hussainiwala in Ferozepur because of the inclement weather.
PM couldn’t have addressed empty chairs like shameless Ex CM Captain. Only way out was to divert media attention to alleged security threat & save humiliation of addressing 500 people on 70000 chairs. This is a colossal failure of BJP in Punjab. They were like a burst balloon !! pic.twitter.com/jhugG4zKPk
— Navjot Singh Sidhu (@sherryontopp) January 6, 2022
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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.
