Uddhav reaches out to socialists, says old differences can be resolved
Mumbai (PTI): Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday said the old differences with socialists were mainly ideological which can be settled for the cause of democracy.
Addressing a gathering of 21 socialist parivar parties, Thackeray recalled that despite differences, his father and Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray and socialist leaders had come together for the common cause of Samyukta (united) Maharashtra.
The movement achieved its goal when Maharashtra was created as a Marathi linguistic state in 1960 with Mumbai as its capital.
"We had ideological differences even though our objective was the same. Differences can be resolved when we sit and talk," Thackeray said.
He recalled how George Fernandes managed to defeat Congress stalwart SK Patil in the 1960s, saying the trade union leader instilled confidence among people that Patil, a Mumbai strongman who had the backing of industrialists, could be defeated.
"It can happen even now if we stand united for democracy. Cadres are very important and if we have a strong cadre, there is no need to fear," he added.
Thackeray said Shiv Sena- founded in 1966--and socialist parties have had a long history of differences but they did come together on issues like Samyukta Maharashtra.
"Samajwadis also played an important role in the movement against Emergency. Despite differences, Acharya Atre, SA Dange and (Bal) Thackeray were on the same page during the movement for a united Maharashtra," he added.
Hitting out at the BJP, Thackeray said the BJP joined hands with Shiv Sena (undivided) after the assembly bypoll in 1987 showed that the election could be won by consolidating Hindu votes.
He alleged the BJP wants to grow by "destroying" others, and currently, it doesn't want anyone.
"At this moment, I have nothing to offer you because I possess nothing. When you join hands with someone who cannot offer you anything, it is true friendship," the former Maharashtra chief minister said.
He accused the BJP of splitting parties and alliances which are doing well.
"If the BJP can shower flowers on Pakistani cricketers at the Narendra Modi stadium, I can also talk to socialist parties. Many of them may be Muslims but they are nationalists who want to protect the country's democracy," he said.
Thackeray alleged the Jan Sangh, the forerunner of BJP, was instrumental in splitting the Janata Party on the dual membership issue.
The Shiv Sena (UBT), a constituent of the INDIA bloc, is trying to rebuild itself for the 2024 polls in view of a vertical split in Shiv Sena (undivided) last year.
After the split, the faction led by Thackeray joined hands with Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) led by Daslit leader Prakash Ambedkar and Maratha outfit Sambhaji Brigade as part of its social engineering plan.
Notably, Shiv Sena (undivided), which fashioned itself as the protector of Marathi manoos and later Hindutva, had a common cause with socialist parties on several issues in the 1960s 70s.
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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.
