AIMIM has named 3 candidates for Rajasthan polls, more to be announced: Owaisi
Jaipur (PTI): AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday said his party has so far fielded three candidates in the upcoming Rajasthan Assembly polls and more names will be announced in consultation with its state leadership.
The Lok Sabha MP from Hyderabad said the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has entered the poll fray in Rajasthan for the first time.
It has fielded candidates from the Hawa Mahal constituency in Jaipur, Fatehpur in Sikar and Kaman in Bharatpur for the November 25 polls.
"The party has fielded three candidates in the upcoming Assembly election and more names will be announced in consultation with the state leadership. The party is contesting the Rajasthan Assembly polls for the first time and we will try our best to ensure that our candidates perform well," Owaisi told a press conference here.
He said public meetings of the AIMIM candidates are scheduled in Fatehpur on Saturday and in Jaipur on Sunday.
On his party's strategy in the polls, Owaisi said they will go to people highlighting that the Congress has failed to provide governance to them and remained busy in infighting as well as the BJP's communalism and pro-majority behaviour in the country.
Asked about not being made a part of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) that has been formed by opposition parties to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) unitedly in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, he said it does not lower the significance of the AIMIM and they will continue to do their work.
"This (INDIA) is an elite club of the chieftains of secularism. Big people sit in this club. People like us are not needed in it and we are also not interested to be a part of it. We will do our work," Owaisi said.
Asked about Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot assertion that the Congress is going to retain power in Rajasthan, he said the grand old party and its leaders say a lot of things.
"In the last Lok Sabha election, he (Gehlot) had said they will win all the seats but his son lost the contest. They say a lot of things," Owaisi said.
Later, while addressing a public meeting in Bhinchri of Fatehpur town in Sikar district, Owaisi said, "Today, the BJP is in power because of Ashok Gehlot and Rahul Gandhi. Narendra Modi could become the prime minister of the country twice not because of you and me. The BJP gets success because of their (the Congress') uselessness, double standards in policies and false promises."
He said the Congress terms the AIMIM a 'B' team of the BJP, whereas the BJP says they are terrorists and anti-national.
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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.
