No need for anti-conversion law in Bihar: CM Nitish Kumar
Patna(PTI): Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday asserted that there was "no need" for an anti-conversion law in the state where the government was "alert" and members of different religious communities lived in peace.
He gave the statement when asked by journalists about the need for such a law in the wake of reports appearing in the press, sporadically, about Hindus allegedly changing their faith following enticements offered by proselytizers.
"The government has always been alert here. And all people, be they from any religious group, live in peace. Hence such a move is not required here," the chief minister said emphatically.
The averment by Kumar, who controls the JD(U) and owes his rise in politics to the socialist movement, could also be seen as a strong message to his ally BJP.
BJP hardliners such as Union minister Giriraj Singh have been stressing on the need for an anti-conversion law.
Ideological divide between Kumar and BJP has also come to the fore on the issue of caste census.
BJP leaders, including some ministers in the cabinet, have been alleging that many "Rohingyas" and "Bangladeshis" have sneaked into Bihar and care must be taken not to legitimise their stay by including them in the state-level headcount of castes.
Notwithstanding their political collaboration that goes back to the 1990s, Kumar has not been on the same page with the BJP on issues such as Ayodhya, Article 370, Uniform Civil Code, triple talaq, NRC and legislative measures for population control.
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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.
