Sidhu calls Pak PM Imran Khan 'bada bhai'; BJP, AAP, Manish Tewari slam Punjab Cong chief
New Delhi/Gurdaspur(PTI): Congress' Punjab unit president Navjot Singh Sidhu on Saturday called Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan his 'bada bhai' (elder brother) during a trip to Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara across the border to spark a fresh controversy with the remark drawing condemnation from the BJP, AAP and also within the opposition party.
Sidhu visited the revered Gurdwara Darbar Sahib and offered prayers and stressed on "opening of a new friendship chapter" and trade between the two countries, days after India early this week reopened the visa-free Kartarpur corridor for Sikh pilgrims.
But Sidhu's description of Imran Khan ruffled feathers in India with even his senior party colleague Manish Tewari taking a swipe at the Punjab Congress chief, saying the premier is the "cat's paw" of the Pakistan deep state that "drones" arms and narcotics into Punjab and sends terrorists to Jammu and Kashmir.
When Kartarpur Corridor Project Management Unit CEO Muhammad Latif welcomed the former Test cricketer at the zero point and extended best wishes to him and his delegation on behalf of the prime minister, Sidhu was effusive in his praise for his ex-cricket rival.
"Imran Khan is my elder brother. I am greatly honoured. He (Khan) gave us a lot of love," Sidhu is heard saying in a purported video that has gone viral.
Sidhu later dismissed the criticism by the BJP.
"Let BJP say whatever they want...," Sidhu told reporters at the border point in Gurdaspur when asked for his response to the BJP's attack on him.
Sharing the video, BJP IT department head Amit Malviya tweeted, "Rahul Gandhi's favourite Navjot Singh Sidhu calls Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan his bada bhai . Last time he had hugged Gen Bajwa, Pakistan Army's Chief, heaped praises. Is it any surprise that the Gandhi siblings chose a Pakistan loving Sidhu over veteran Amarinder Singh?"
Responding to a media query on Sidhu's utterances, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said the country should be paramount for public representatives.
"It is expected that the country should be paramount for all public representatives, whether they say their point in the house or outside," he told reporters in Jaipur.
The BJP hit out at the Congress, saying the opposition party sees terror groups like the ISIS and Boko Haram in Hindutva while it finds a "bhai jaan" in Imran Khan.
It is a serious matter of concern for Indians, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said as the ruling party seized on the issue to target the Congress.
He claimed that there was a larger design at work, and Sidhu's comments were linked to a number of Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, criticising Hindutva.
Referring to Congress leader Salman Khurshid's statement in his latest book, Patra said the opposition party sees terror groups such as the ISIS and the Boko Haram in Hindutva while it finds a "bhai jaan" in Khan.
It is being done for appeasement politics as the Congress still believes that there is a section in India which will be happy with praise for Pakistan, he claimed, adding there are no such people in India though.
Patra noted that Sidhu had praised Imran Khan and Pakistan earlier too and had hugged its army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa during a previous trip to the neighbouring country.
Noting that Punjab is a border state where Pakistan tries to foment troubles, Patra said it needs a mature and patriotic leadership.
Sidhu is not right for India and Punjab deserves better than him, he said.
Reacting to Sidhu's gesture, Tewari tweeted, "@ImranKhanPTI may be anybody's elder brother but for India he is that cat's paw of Pak Deep State ISI-Military combine that drones arms & narcotics into Punjab & sends terrorists on a daily basis across LOC in J&K."
"Have we forgotten martyrdom of our soldiers in Poonch so soon," the MP from Anandpur Sahib said.
Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party(AAP) also attacked Sidhu, calling his remark deeply worrying".
Deeply worrying that Punjab's ruling party chief & Chief Minister are professing their love for Pak PM & Pakistan--a country that exports terror, executes terror modules, sends tiffin bombs & drones arms/drugs into Punjab, Raghav Chadha, co-in-charge of the AAP's political affairs in Punjab, said in a tweet.
Sidhu was also effusive in his praise for the former Pakistan cricket captain on another matter.
"I am thankful to PM (Imran Khan) for taking the first step and the other side (India) responded with two steps. I had already said that those favouring the 'laanga' (corridor) would have blessings and those opposing it had no value," 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.
