PMO holds informal interaction with ECs on electoral reforms: Sources
New Delhi, Dec 17: Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra and fellow Commissioners Rajiv Kumar and Anoop Chandra Pandey recently held an "informal interaction" with the Prime Minister's Office to bridge gaps in understanding of key electoral reforms between the poll panel and the Law Ministry, with EC sources insisting on Friday that the question of propriety does not arise in doing so.
The commission had been pushing for reforms in electoral laws and related issues, and the virtual interaction in November was held to "bridge the gaps in understanding the points of views of the Law Ministry and the Election Commission (EC)", they said.
The sources said amid a series of correspondence between the government and the poll panel on electoral reforms, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) took the lead in organising the "informal interaction" with the three commissioners.
Responding to a news report published on Friday that the Law Ministry had sent a letter to the EC saying that the principal secretary to the prime minister will chair a meeting on common electoral roll and "expects the CEC" to be present, the sources said the three commissioners did not attend that formal meeting.
Responding to the news report, former chief election commissoner (CEC) S Y Quraishi said it was "absolutely shocking". When asked to explain his remarks, he said his words have summed up everything.
The sources said senior EC officials attended the formal meeting, besides officials from the Law Ministry.
The Legislative Department in the Law Ministry is the nodal agency for EC-related matters.
The sources said the result of the informal interaction with the PMO resulted in the Union Cabinet on Wednesday clearing various electoral reforms that the EC had been insisting be brought in the ongoing Winter session of Parliament.
One of the reforms is linking Aadhaar with electoral rolls on a voluntary basis. The other will allow eligible young people to register as voters on four dates every year. As of now there is one qualifying date -- January 1 of every year -- to register as a voter for those who have turned 18 or above on January 1.
The sources pointed out that crucial electoral reforms have been pending for the last 25 years.
The EC had been writing to the government for pushing reforms and the Law Ministry had been seeking clarifications. The informal interaction, the sources said, helped bridge the gaps in understanding on key issues. "Reforms have to be done like that," a senior EC functionary said.
There is no impropriety in pushing for reforms, the sources asserted.
They reminded that CECs have written letters to law ministers, including Ravi Shankar Prasad and incumbent Kiren Rijiju, seeking their help in implementing electoral reforms.
Usually, law ministers and legislative secretaries have been meeting the commissioners on various issues at the Nirvachan Sadan. The commissioners never call on the ministers as part of protocol since the EC is an independent Constitutional body.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
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
===================
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.
