After SC directive, Guv Bose invites Mamata to Raj Bhavan to hold talks on VCs' appointment
Kolkata (PTI): West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose has written to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee inviting her to the Raj Bhavan for a meeting on the appointments of vice-chancellors at different universities in the state, a senior official said.
Bose's letter to Banerjee on Thursday came in the backdrop of the Supreme Court staying the emoluments of the newly appointed interim vice-chancellors of state-run universities in West Bengal and asking the governor to sit with the chief minister "over a cup of coffee" to resolve the deadlock over the appointment of VCs.
"The governor has written a letter inviting the CM to Raj Bhavan for a meeting on the appointments of VCs at different universities in the state," the official told PTI.
The governor's office is "expecting a reply from the CMO soon", he said.
The top court had on October 6 said there is a need for reconciliation between the governor and the chief minister "in the interest of educational institutions and the future careers of lakhs of students".
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Dipankar Datta said the stay on emoluments to interim VCs appointed in August will continue till the pendency of the state government's petition against the governor's action of appointing interim vice-chancellors. The governor is the ex-officio chancellor of state universities.
The apex court was hearing an appeal of the West Bengal government against the June 28 order of the Calcutta High Court which stated there was no illegality in the orders issued by the governor appointing interim VCs in 11 state-run universities.
On September 27, the top court had sought names of eminent personalities including scientists, technocrats, administrators, educationists and jurists for setting up a search committee for short-listing and appointing VCs in state-run universities.
Taking note of the running feud between the state and the office of the governor on the issue, the top court had decided on September 15 that it would set up a search committee to pick VCs.
Earlier, the high court had held that the chancellor has the power to appoint VCs as laid down in relevant enactments.
The relations between Raj Bhavan and the West Bengal government nosedived when the governor started appointing interim VCs of 11 state-universities after the term of full-time VCs of 31 universities expired in April-May this year.
As the state government accused Bose of bypassing it by taking the decision, Raj Bhavan maintained that every step was taken as per the law in the interest of students to ensure there was no deadlock in the functioning of the universities.
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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.
