PM decision to roll back laws too late: Kin of farmers killed in Lakhimpur Kheri
Lakhimpur Kheri/Bahraich(PTI): Relatives of four farmers killed in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence last month have lamented that had Prime Minister Narendra Modi taken his decision to roll back the three central farm laws earlier, they would not have lost their loved ones.
Terming the Prime Minister's announcement of rolling back the laws only as half victory for farmers, they also said on Friday that unless the laws are formally repealed by Parliament and Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra Teni' is sacked their victory will not be complete.
A total of eight people were killed at Tikunia in the Lakhimpur Kheri district on October 3. Four farmers -- two from Lakhimpur Kheri and two from Bahraich -- were killed after an SUV in the convoy of the BJP supporters ran over a group of farmers protesting against the planned visit of Teni to the area.
Two BJP workers, a driver and a local journalist too were lynched to death in the violence that ensued.
Satnam Singh of Palia tehsil in the Lakhimpur Kheri district, who lost his son Lavpreet Singh, said nothing can compensate for the loss he suffered by losing his only son.
Had the decision been taken a few months back, I would not have lost my son, he said.
Jagdeep Singh of Namdarpurwa in Dhaurahra tehsil of the district, who lost his father Nakshattar Singh, too voiced similar sentiments.
The decision to repeal the laws now cannot bring back my father, he said, adding if the laws were repealed earlier, several lives could have been saved.
Two farmers from Bahraich, Gurvinder Singh and Daljeet Singh, too were killed in Lakhimpur Kheri on October 3.
Gurvinder Singh's father Sukvinder Singh on Saturday said, "There is happiness among farmers over the decision to roll back the farm laws.
But, unless the Centre does not give anything in writing about the repeal of the laws and Union minister Ajay Mishra is removed, the farmers should continue with their protests," he said.
Another victim Gurvinder Singh's brother Gursevak Singh said Prime Minister Modi has decided to repeal the laws only in view of the assembly elections.
This is only half victory. The Prime Minister has not given any assurance on MSP. The departed soul of my brother will get peace only when all the demands of the farmers are fulfilled, he said.
I praise the Prime Minister's decision but will continue with our fight till the demands are fulfilled," he said.
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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.
