After initial opposition to Article 370, JD(U) strikes reconciliatory note
Patna: After opposing the Centre's resolution to revoke provisions of Article 370 and a bill to bifurcate Jammu and Kashmir, NDA ally JD(U) on Wednesday struck a reconciliatory note and said the law that had come into force should be abided by all.
National general secretary of the Janata Dal (United), Ram Chandra Prasad Singh, said the party does not wish to engage in further ideological sparring.
"The law that has come into force with the passing of the bill in Parliament is the law of the land. It should be abided by all. Our differences with the BJP on this issue have always been known and we registered our protest by not voting for it," Singh, also the JD(U) leader in the Rajya Sabha, told reporters here.
JD(U) lawmakers in both Houses of Parliament had opposed the resolution for scrapping the provisions of Article 370 and reorganising Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories.
They spoke against the bill followed by a walkout, stopping short of voting against the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill, 2019.
"We could not have supported the bill. We were not consulted by the Centre before it brought the bill. We have an ideological position on the issue based on the stance taken by our founding president George Fernandes and, previously, socialist stalwarts like Lohia and JP (Jayprakash Narayan)," Singh said.
"However, now that the bill has been passed by Parliament, we do not wish to engage in further ideological sparring," he said. The party's concern now is that the people of Jammu and Kashmir reap the fruits of better governance promised by the Centre, he added.
Singh, one of the closest aides of JD(U) president Nitish Kumar, said the ideological differences will not affect the ruling coalition in Bihar.
"Our ideological differences will have no bearing on the NDA in Bihar. The coalition is intact and we are looking forward to contesting the state assembly polls together next year," he said.
The JD(U) national general secretary also dismissed party MLC Ghulam Rasool Balyawi's statement that the development in Parliament indicated that "there is no NDA, only the BJP".
"It is a democracy and all people have a right to express their individual opinions. The party took a stand in Parliament and now it wants to work in cooperation with the government at the Centre. And the party stand is in consonance with the thinking of Nitish Kumar, who is our supreme leader," Singh said.
Notably, the JD(U) has maintained that it does not share the BJP's views on contentions issues like Article 370, Uniform Civil Code and Ayodhya dispute.
Last month, the party had also opposed the triple talaq bill, expressing apprehension that it might create "an atmosphere of distrust" in the society.
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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.
