Tribal presidential candidate a tokenism; Modi govt has done nothing for uplifting community: KTR
New Delhi, Jun 27: TRS working president and Telangana IT Minister K T Rama Rao (KTR) on Monday described as "tokenism" the NDA's decision to field a tribal candidate for the presidential election, and said the Modi government has done nothing for the uplift of the community in the last eight years.
The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) is supporting the Opposition's candidate Yashwant Sinha to uphold the constitutional values which are under attack in the Modi regime, he said.
The TRS leader was in the national capital to extend support to Sinha, who filed nomination his papers in the Parliament House on Monday.
The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has fielded tribal leader and former Jharkhand governor Droupadi Murmu as its candidate in the presidential poll to be held on July 18.
"We don't believe in tokenism. It is not about Murmu's candidature. She represents a party which is heavily reliant on unconstitutional practices. Therefore, we are vehemently opposing the BJP candidate," Rao told reporters.
He alleged that the Modi government has been abusing all constitutional offices and there is a need to stop this. "Someone has to raise voice against this," he said.
Even the plight of Dalits has not changed much after Ram Nath Kovind, a member of the community, became the President, he added.
Stating that BJP has not done anything for the welfare of the tribal community in the last eight years, the TRS leader said a tribal university was promised for Telangana as part of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act but it has not seen the light of the day yet.
Besides, the Telangana government had requested the Centre to increase the reservation for tribal people in the state due to increase in their population. "A resolution was passed in the assembly four years back but the Centre has not accepted this request," he said.
Rao also said that the NDA government through an ordinance forcefully took away seven blocks from Telangana which had more than 90 per cent tribal population.
"We don't believe in tokenism. We don't have any choice but to support Yashwant Sinhaji who has been supported by all Opposition parties. We are hopeful that he will be elected with (the support of) a lot of like-minded voters," he said.
On the Maharashtra political crisis, the TRS working president said the Modi government has been successful in pulling down democratically elected governments in eight states, including Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh.
He complained that the central government has not done enough for Telangana despite the state government contributing a major share in the country's growth annually.
"We are the fourth largest contributor to the country's GDP. The state has constructed the world's largest lift irrigation project Kaleshwaram. What has Modi government contributed in return to Telangana in last eight years? Let the Modi government bring out a white paper on this," 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.
