Ram janmabhoomi teerth kshetra to be developed on lines of Vatican City and Mecca: VHP chief
Nagpur, Dec 12: Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) president Rabindra Narain Singh on Sunday said the Ram Janmabhoomi teerth kshetra in Ayodhya would be developed on the lines of the Vatican City and the Mecca and would emerge as a symbol of Hindutva.
Singh was in Nagpur in Maharashtra on Sunday to attend the bhumipujan or groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of Vishwa Hindu Jankalyan Parishad's Vidarbha region office in the Dhantoli area.
"The Ram janmabhoomi teerth kshetra in Ayodhya would be developed on the lines of the Vatican City (the headquarters of the Roman Catholic church) and the Mecca (the holiest city of Islam). It would become a symbol of Hindutva," Singh said while addressing a gathering attended by seers and VHP office-bearers.
Speaking to reporters, he hailed the Narendra Modi government for tightening the noose on foreign funding aimed at religious conversion in India. He appealed to the Muslim community to join Hindus in the service of the nation.
"Hindus think nothing will happen to them. We are facing challenges because of this mentality," Singh said.
He accused Christian missionaries of running hospitals and schools in tribal areas for carrying out the religious conversion.
Missionaries are operating schools and hospitals in tribal areas with proper planning to uproot the Hindu dharma. Hindus need to become a united strong force to protect Hindutva and themselves," he alleged, adding that Indians seem more concerned about GDP these days than inculcating 'sanskars' or virtues in their children.
He said the upcoming office of the Jankalyan Parishad would launch various welfare measures for Hindus across the Vidarbha region in east Maharashtra.
Earlier in the day, the VHP chief visited the Smriti Mandir memorial in the Reshimbagh area dedicated to K. B. Hedgewar and M. S. Golwalkar, who were the first two leaders of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), headquartered in Nagpur.
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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.
