12 suspended Congress councillors in Ambernath join BJP
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Thane (PTI): Twelve newly elected councillors in the Ambernath Municipal Council, suspended by the Congress for aligning with the BJP after the polls, have formally joined the saffron party.
Maharashtra Bharatiya Janata Party president Ravindra Chavan announced the development at the BJP office here late Wednesday night, asserting the move was not motivated by power but driven by a shared commitment to development.
"The people elected these councillors and they had promised development to the citizens. They have come with us because the government is working in a dynamic manner and is capable of delivering justice and development to the people," he said.
Following the local polls held on December 20, the BJP joined hands with its arch-rival, Congress, under the banner of 'Ambernath Vikas Aghadi' (AVA) to form the Ambernath Municipal Council (in Thane district) leadership, sidelining ally Shiv Sena, which emerged as the single largest party. The Aghadi also includes Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
The AVA secured a majority of 31 seats in the 60-member local body. In recent elections, Shiv Sena won 27 seats, falling just four short of a majority. The BJP secured 14 seats, Congress 12, NCP 4, while 2 independents were also elected.
With the support of one independent, the three-party coalition's strength has risen to 32 councillors, crossing the majority mark of 30.
Left red-faced with the awkward arrangement, the Congress on Wednesday suspended its 12 newly elected councillors along with the block president.
The move by the 12 suspended councillors to join the BJP has significantly altered the political equations in the municipality.
BJP, NCP and Shiv Sena are partners in the ruling Mahayuti.
Chavan maintained that the councillors' move reflected growing confidence in the BJP-led government.
"They believe that only through the BJP can the promises made to the people be fulfilled effectively," he said, adding that the party would continue to focus on governance and development at the local body level.
Mahayuti ally Shiv Sena has called the development a betrayal of "coalition dharma" as the arrangement in Ambernath was aimed at keeping the Eknath Shinde-led party from holding reins of the local body.
On the BJP joining hands with the Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM in the Akot Municipal Council in Akola district, Chavan said a show-cause notice has been issued to their Akot MLA, Prakash Bharsakhale.
Chavan noted that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has expressed strong displeasure over the role of local BJP leaders in the matter and made it clear that the party would not tolerate actions that go against its stated policies.
Frowning upon the alliances between ideological rivals, CM Fadnavis on Wednesday said such arrangements were not approved by the BJP leadership and violated discipline.
Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) has said the arrangements reflect the BJP's double standards and its readiness to do anything to grab power.
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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.
