Muslims should hand over mosque in Mathura to Hindus, says UP minister
Ballia (UP) (PTI): Uttar Pradesh minister Anand Swarup Shukla has said Muslims should hand over a mosque close to a temple at the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi in Mathura to Hindus, referring to it as a safed bhavan (white structure).
In provocative remarks on Monday, he said while the court had resolved the Ayodhya issue, the white structures in Varanasi and Mathura hurt Hindus.
"A time will come when the white structure in Mathura that hurts every Hindu will be removed with the help of the court, Shukla, the minister of state for parliamentary affairs, told reporters Monday evening.
Dr Ram Manohar Lohia had said that the Muslims of India would have to believe that Ram and Krishna were their ancestors and that Babar, Akbar and Aurangzeb were attackers. Do not associate yourself with any building built by them," he added.
The minister said, "The Muslim community should come forward and hand over the white structure located in the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi complex in Mathura to Hindus. Time will come when this work will be completed."
He said on December 6 (1992), karsewaks' had removed a blot on Ramlalla and now a grand temple is being constructed there. He was apparently referring to the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya by Hindutva mobs.
Asked about the conversion of former Shia Waqf Board chairman Syed Wasim Rizvi to 'Sanatan dharma' (Hinduism), he said Muslims should follow and do "ghar wapsi" (return to Hinduism).
"All Muslims in the country are converted. If they see their history, they will find that 200-250 years ago they converted to Islam from Hinduism. We will like all of them to do 'ghar vapasi', he said, hailing Rizvi for his "courageous" step.
"This step is a challenge for Maulanas and Maulvis who live in the country and promote a Talabani mindset," Shukla said.
He said India's basic culture is of 'Hindutva' (Hinduism) and 'Bhartiyata' and they are complementary to each other.
He termed the Samajwadi Party, its founder Mulayam Singh Yadav and president Akhilesh Yadav as anti-Hindu and accused them of ordering firing on unarmed 'karsewaks' in Ayodhya.
On Sunday, BJP MP Ravindra Kushwaha had said when the Narendra Modi government can repeal the farm laws keeping in mind the protests by farmers, it can also withdraw the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991 to pave way for the construction of a grand temple at Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi in Mathura.
Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya had also offered support for a new temple in Mathura.
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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.
