Nehru's birth anniversary: Oppn parties question absence of RS Chairman, Speaker at Parliament event
New Delhi, Nov 14: Opposition parties on Sunday questioned the "absence" of the Rajya Sabha Chairman, the Lok Sabha Speaker and union ministers at a traditional event marking the birth anniversary of India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru at Parliament's Central Hall.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla was in Jaipur to address a special session for children in the Rajasthan legislative assembly to mark Children's Day, which is celebrated on Nehru's birthday, while Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu attended the 20th-anniversary celebrations of Swarna Bharat Trust in Venkatachalam in SPS Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh, according to official sources.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh termed as "atrocious" the absence of the presiding officers and union ministers at the Central Hall, while Trinamool Congress' Derek O'Brien also hit out at the government.
The opposition parties have frequently accused the government of disregarding parliamentary traditions, though the government has dismissed such allegations.
Officials pointed out that the Jaipur event was organised by the Congress-led government in Rajasthan and the state assembly and was also attended by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and state assembly speaker CP Joshi, both from Congress, among others, officials said.
They also said that Birla has always attended such events whenever he is in Delhi, though there is no formal convention for him or for the Rajya Sabha Chairperson to mandatorily attend these functions.
Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, Deputy Leader of Opposition Anand Sharma, Congress general secretary K C Venugopal, along with other party leaders attended the event in the Parliament hall, where the birth anniversaries of personalities whose portraits are on display are traditionally marked by top leaders by offering floral tributes.
"Extraordinary scene today in Parliament at the traditional function to mark the birth anniversary of those whose portraits adorn the Central Hall. Speaker Lok Sabha absent. Chairman Rajya Sabha absent. Not a single Minister present. Can it get more atrocious than this?!" Ramesh, who is the Congress' chief whip in Rajya Sabha, said on Twitter.
A Lok Sabha press release, however, said that the Minister of State in the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma was among the dignitaries who attended the event.
Tagging Ramesh's tweet, TMC leader O'Brien said: "Nothing surprises me anymore. This dispensation is destroying India's great institutions, including #Parliament one day at a time."
Lok Sabha Secretariat tweeted a photograph of the event at Central Hall in which Gandhi can be seen standing in front of Nehru's portrait.
"Parliamentarians paid floral tributes to Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, first Prime Minister of India, in the Central Hall of Parliament House, on his Birth Anniversary today," it tweeted.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to pay tributes to Nehru.
"Tributes to Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Ji on his birth anniversary," he tweeted.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi remembered Nehru, saying he greatly valued truth, unity and peace, and posted his quote: What we need is a generation of peace .
Kharge paid tributes to Nehru in a tweet, saying he was a fearless visionary who laid the foundations of a modern nation inspiring many to strive for the idea of India.
Sharma, in a tweet, said, "Saluting the memory of Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru India's front-ranking freedom fighter, a hero of the masses and a global statesman on his birth anniversary.
A grateful nation will remember Nehru for his unforgettable contribution in building institutions that shaped a modern nation and establishing an inclusive constitutional democracy that guarantees fundamental rights for all Indians, he said.
Born in 1889, the Congress stalwart remains India's longest-serving prime minister.
Extraordinary scene today in Parliament at the traditional function to mark the birth anniversary of those whose portraits adorn the Central Hall. Speaker Lok Sabha absent. Chairman Rajya Sabha absent. Not a single Minister present. Can it get more atrocious than this?!
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) November 14, 2021
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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.
