Union Minister Ajay Mishra loses cool over Lakhimpur Kheri, calls journalists 'thieves'
Lakhimpur Kheri (UP), Dec 15: Union minister Ajay Mishra lost his cool at reporters here on Wednesday, calling them thieves and lunging at one of them when they questioned him on the October 3 violence for which his son is among the accused.
A memorandum submitted by reporters also accused the Minister of State for Home Affairs of scuffling with them and snatching a reporter's mobile phone.
The opposition has renewed its demand for the minister's dismissal after a special investigation team (SIT) told a local court that the Lakhimpur Kheri violence in which eight people, including four farmers, were killed was a pre-planned conspiracy.
The court on Tuesday also allowed the SIT to add the attempt to murder charge in the FIR against the minister's son, Ashish Mishra, and 12 others booked in the case, replacing it with lesser charges.
A video clip purportedly shows the minister getting angry when asked about these developments by a reporter from a television news channel.
Don't ask questions like a fool. Have you lost your mental balance (`Dimag kharab hai kya')? he is heard saying in Hindi. What do you want to know? You turned an innocent person into an accused. Aren't you ashamed?
He is also heard calling the media chor, or thieves, and angrily asking a journalist to switch off his mobile phone.
The clip shows him moving aggressively towards a reporter.
The confrontation took place at a government health centre, 15 kilometres from the Lakhimpur Kheri district headquarters, where he had gone to inaugurate an oxygen plant.
The hospital falls in Mishra's Kheri parliamentary constituency, from where he has been elected twice.
In the brief interaction with reporters, the minister earlier took questions on the government efforts to contain the coronavirus pandemic.
A journalists' delegation later submitted a memorandum to the district magistrate, addressing it to the President and seeking security for themselves and action against the minister.
This is our Home Minister (of state) Ajay Mishra abusing&pushing journalists like a goonda. Just before the Lakhimpur Kheri incident he threatened farmers saying "they don't know who he is (read mafia) & will show them". Then his son ran over his car on farmers. Still not sacked! pic.twitter.com/cimDZVVtIE
— Prashant Bhushan (@pbhushan1) December 15, 2021
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.
