Congress locked up Lord Rama, now it wants to lock up those who worship Hanuman: PM Modi
Hospet (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday hit out at the Congress for promising to ban Bajrang Dal in its election manifesto. He called it the party's attempt at trying to lock up those who worship Hanuman.
He claimed that the Congress had earlier locked up Lord Rama and now it wanted to lock up those who chant 'Jai Bajrang Bali' (Hail Hanuman).
Modi's attack on the Congress came within hours of the opposition party releasing its election manifesto for the May 10 Assembly elections.
The Congress manifesto said: "We believe that law and constitution is sacrosanct and cannot be violated by individuals and organisations like Bajrang Dal, PFI or others promoting enmity or hatred, whether among majority or minority communities. We will take decisive action as per law including imposing a ban on such organisations."
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Addressing an election rally here in Vijayanagara district, Modi said: "I have come to the land of Hanuman. I am fortunate that I got the opportunity to pay obeisance to the land of Hanuman but see the misfortune that when I have come to pay my respect to Hanuman's land, at the same time Congress in its manifesto has decided to lock up Lord Hanuman."
Modi said, "First they (Congress) locked up Lord Rama and now they have vowed to lock up those who chant 'Jai Bajrang Bali'."
"It is the misfortune of the country that the Congress had a problem with Lord Rama and now it has difficulty with those who say 'Jai Bajrang Bali'," he added.
The Prime Minister told the crowd that the BJP was committed to making Karnataka the number one state. "I pray for the accomplishment of this vow by bowing my head at the feet of Lord Hanuman."
"BJP will never let anyone damage the honour and culture of Karnataka," Modi vowed.
He said the Vijayanagara dynasty and its history were the pride of India. Invoking the name of the glorious ruler of Vijayanagara dynasty, he said Sri Krishnadevaraya with his resources had immortalised this region. He had strengthened business ties with various countries and had made the culture of Karnataka famous worldwide.
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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.
