CPI(M) MLA, BJP councillor spar over office space, bury hatchet later
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): A ruling CPI (M) MLA and a newly elected BJP councillor on Sunday sparred over an office space located in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation building, before shaking hands over the matter and burying the hatchet.
Vattiyoorkavu MLA V K Prasanth told reporters that councillor R Sreelekha contacted him over the phone and asked him to vacate his office in the Corporation's building in Sasthamangalam.
Sreelekha, a retired DGP, won the recent local body election on a BJP ticket. Responding to the MLA, she said she made a humble request to him regarding the issue.
The saffron party won 50 of the 101 divisions in the city, ending four decades of Left stronghold over the city civic body.
"She contacted me asking to vacate my office. She said the councillor's office in the same building does not have adequate facilities and that she wants to occupy the space currently used by the MLA," Prasanth said.
He said his MLA office has been functioning in the building for the past seven years and that earlier a BJP councillor had also used a portion of the same building as an office.
"When I was the Mayor of Thiruvananthapuram, a decision was taken to allow office space for ward councillors. After becoming MLA, I submitted an application to the Corporation and the space was allotted on rent," he added.
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Prasanth said the procedure requires the Corporation Secretary to issue an eviction notice.
"Here, a councillor is directly calling an MLA and demanding eviction. This is like handling things the way it is done in a police station," he alleged.
He likened the move to "Bulldozer Raj", claiming that policies adopted by the BJP in some north Indian states were being replicated in Thiruvananthapuram.
When asked whether his office had occupied space meant for the ward councillor, Prasanth admitted that some additional space was being used due to the large number of people visiting his office.
"The councillor's office is functioning there and a name board has been installed in front of the room. Councillors rarely use the space and mostly function from the Corporation office," he claimed.
"If the councillor has any complaint, it can be examined. We have the right to function in the allotted space until the agreement period expires," Prasanth contended.
He said the office has been allotted to him till March 31, 2026, and that he has applied for an extension till the end of the current Assembly term in May next year.
Prasanth said he does not believe the councillor took the decision on her own.
"She may have consulted others before contacting me. I informed her that the space has been allotted till March next year and cannot be vacated before that. If they want immediate eviction, they can take legal steps and we will face it legally," he said.
Sreelekha later clarified that she had only made a humble request to Prasanth, citing lack of adequate space in the Corporation building.
"I consider him like a brother. I only requested him politely as I do not have enough space to operate my office and meet the public. I requested him to vacate the space, but he objected to it," she claimed while speaking to reporters.
Sreelekha said she was not aware whether there was any official order allotting the space to the Left legislator and that the matter needed to be verified.
"The MLA has official quarters nearby and can operate an office elsewhere. In my case, though I am the councillor of the Sasthamangalam division, my residence falls in another division. So I need an office here to meet the public," she said.
Sreelekha said she harboured no personal grudge against Prasanth and continued to regard him as a brother.
"I will set up an office in the building as I need to meet the people," she said.
Later, Sreelekha met Prasanth at his office.
Both discussed the issue and shook hands.
After the meeting, Sreelekha said she had no objection to Prasanth continuing to function from the office.
Prasanth, in turn, said he had no issue with Sreelekha operating her office in another room in the same building.
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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.
