Ajit Pawar describes himself as national president of NCP
defends his move of joining Shinde-led govt
Mumbai (PTI): Amid the ECI's hearing on the split within the Nationalist Congress Party, Ajit Pawar, who heads its rebel faction, described himself as the national president of the NCP and defended his move of joining the Eknath Shinde government, saying several top politicians took a "different stand" in the state's political history.
Ajit Pawar took oath as the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra on July 2, the day he joined the Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government along with eight other NCP MLAs. He completes 100 days in office on Tuesday.
On the occasion, he said the Maharashtra government was committed to the economic empowerment of all sections of the society, and added that the NCP would work vigorously to achieve the goal.
In a statement, Pawar, who described himself as the national president of the NCP, said employment, economic empowerment of all sections of the society, education, health, implementation of all welfare measures are the priority of the government.
"NCP is committed to achieving these goals by using the medium of power. Criticism is part and parcel of any politician's life. I always take cognisance of constructive criticism. I believe in positive and developmental politics. Taking any work to its logical end and bringing positive change in the lives of people is what I believe in," he said.
The NCP believes in the ideals of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Mahatma Phule, Shahu Maharaj, Dr B R Ambedkar and Yashwantao Chavan. Under my leadership, the party will continue this legacy, Pawar said.
"In the political history of Maharashtra, several top leaders have taken a different political stand. Every political leader takes a stand depending on the prevailing political and social situation," he said.
"NCP, under my leadership, took a similar position on July 2, 2023 and joined the state government," he added.
The NCP will work for farmers, youth, women and for protecting the rights of different sections of the society, he said.
"We have trodden on this path for 100 days and will continue to do so," he said.
The Election Commission on Monday heard the claims of the Ajit Pawar-led faction over its claim on the NCP's name and poll symbol, even as the Sharad Pawar-led group contended that there were discrepancies in the documents submitted by its rival.
The EC fixed November 9 as the next date for hearing the warring factions of the NCP led by Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar over their claims to the party's name and election symbol.
Ajit Pawar, who had moved the EC staking claim to the party's name and poll symbol, submitted that he had the support of 42 of the 53 NCP MLAs in Maharashtra, six of the nine MLCs, all seven MLAs in Nagaland and one member each in the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha.
Two days before the rebellion against his uncle Sharad Pawar to join the Maharashtra government in early July, Ajit Pawar had approached the EC on June 30, staking claim to the party's name as well as symbol and subsequently, also declared himself as the party president with the support of 40 lawmakers.
Recently, the Sharad Pawar-led faction told the EC that there was no dispute in the party, except that a few mischievous individuals have defected from the organisation for their personal ambitions, a reference to the rebel group headed by Ajit Pawar.
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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.
