Bengal Governor assures TMC delegation of taking up MGNREGA dues issue with Centre
Kolkata (PTI): West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose on Monday assured a Trinamool Congress delegation led by party general secretary Abhishek Banerjee of taking up the issue of MGNREGA dues to the state with the central government, an official said.
Bose held a meeting with TMC leaders at Raj Bhavan here, as demanded by the party earlier, and also informed them that he will do whatever is required for the welfare of the people of the state.
"The delegation headed by Abhishek Banerjee called on the governor at the Raj Bhavan at 4 PM and submitted a memorandum on MGNREGA. The governor gave a patient hearing and said the matter will be brought to the notice of the government of India and whatever is required for the welfare of the people of Bengal will be done," the official said.
The TMC delegation, during the around 20-minute-long meeting, handed over a two-page letter to the Governor urging him "to help resolve the long pending issue of non-payment of wages to 21 lakh+ deprived men and women of Bengal, who have earned an honest living".
"We look forward to you as the governor of the state to safeguard the interests of both the state and its people," the TMC said in its letter signed by Abhishek Banerjee.
Monday is the fifth consecutive day that TMC leaders, led by Banerjee, are on a sit-in outside Raj Bhavan here demanding the clearance of the dues to West Bengal under the MGNREGA scheme.
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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.
