BJP 'desperately attacking' judiciary, alleges Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi
Bengaluru, Jul 6: Accusing the ruling BJP of "desperately attacking" the Judiciary, senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi on Wednesday said his party was writing to the Chief Justice of India, asking for a special committee to look into "orchestrated" attacks.
Calling it a "disturbing issue", the national spokesperson of the AICC said there has been "deliberate, orchestrated, coordinated attack on the judiciary, when the narrative does not suit the ruling party".
"The attacks on judges are not just random and piecemeal incidents; rather the attacks are clearly organised, standardised, and institutionalised. It is followed by a consistent and continuous trolling process, the intention of which is extended, encouraged, and endorsed by BJP 'netas' and their supporters," Singhvi alleged.
Speaking to reporters here, he said the main objective behind such campaigns is to "demoralise, pressurise, and terrorise the judiciary".
"We will not let this matter rest. We are going to follow this and expose the BJP for its complete hypocrisy, for subverting institutions of constitutional governance, for subverting the pillars of our democracy. We are in the process of writing to the Chief Justice of India, seeking a special committee to look into these orchestrated attacks on the judicial system and the Supreme Court of India," he added.
The Rajya Sabha member repeatedly targeted the ruling BJP accusing it of attacking the judiciary and the Supreme Court following its remarks against the party's former national spokesperson Nupur Sharma's "role" in the Udaipur violence.
He said an organised army of trolls was deployed to manufacture and spread fake news regarding the judges, with fake and distorted photographs being shared to demonstrate a false proximity with leaders of the Congress.
Further highlighting the intellectuals' letter to the Bench asking for them to withdraw their remarks, he said, "The statement was clearly drafted with the blessings of the PM's office."
Attacking the BJP, Singhvi asked, "In a country of one billion voices, how many will the BJP try to silence? In a country built on the Constitution, how many institutions will the BJP subvert just to stay in power? In a country facing the consequences of the BJP's complete administrative incompetence and failure, how long will BJP hide behind divisive propaganda?"
He also pointed out to Karnataka High Court Judge Justice H P Sandesh "exposing" the pressure and threats of transfer he was facing merely because "he had shown truth to power".
"...if this can happen to sitting judges, you can imagine what can happen to political opponents, social activists and ordinary people," he added.
On Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra's statement in support to documentary "Kaali" showing the goddess smoking and holding an LGBTQ flag, Singhvi said: "People must be very careful before they play with emotions of people which are reflected in symbols, faith and culture, and those who organise such visuals should have thought many times over."
"I do believe that balance must be maintained in the symbols and essence of our faith, and the heart and spirit of our culture cannot be trivialised by anyone anywhere," he added.
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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.
