What's black in farm laws except for its ink, asks Union minister V K Singh
Basti (UP) (PTI): What is black in the farm laws other than the ink used to write them, Union minister V K Singh asked on Saturday and said there is a fight for supremacy in farmer organisations which are not thinking about benefits to small farmers.
The Minister of State for Road Transport & Highways and Civil Aviation put the poser a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced his decision to repeal the three central farm laws in the upcoming parliamentary session.
"I asked a farmer leader to tell me what is black (in the farm laws). You people say this is a black law. I asked them what is black barring the ink (used), the former Army chief told reporters here, recounting his interaction with a farmer leader.
They said we endorse your view but these (laws) are still black," said Singh
"What is the cure (for this)? There is no cure, he said expressing his exasperation.
The Union minister said this while interacting with reporters on his way to attend a programme in the adjoining Siddharth Nagar district.
In farmers' organisations, there is a fight for supremacy among themselves. These people cannot think about the benefits to small farmers," he said.
Asked about AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi's claim that the Prime Minister was forced to do a rethink on the farm laws due to the impending elections and protest movements by farmers, Singh dismissed the Hyderabad MP's assertion saying he knows nothing about agriculture.
Owaisi Saheb does not do farming and one who does not do it, does not understand it either, said Singh.
He added it was the BJP government which implemented the recommendations of the Swaminathan Committee report.
The National Commission on Farmers, also known as Swaminathan Committee, was set up in November 2004 under the chairpersonship of Prof M S Swaminathan to address farmers' distress and a spate of suicide among them.
The committee had submitted a series of five reports between December 2004 and October 2006, recommending a slew of measures to ameliorate farmers' plight by faster and more inclusive growth
Dismissing Owaisi's claim that the decision to roll back the farm laws was taken under the fear of impending elections, Singh exuded confidence that the BJP will register a grand win in the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.
You will see yourself the way the BJP will win the upcoming UP assembly elections, 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.
