Uddhav stresses need for opposition parties to come together, says there is no other alternative
Mumbai (PTI): Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday stressed the need for opposition parties, including the Congress and regional players, to come together and said there was no other alternative to it.
Responding to a question by PTI Videos on whether the INDIA bloc exists, Thackeray said, "Probe a bit and check whether the INDIA bloc is there or not. This is right that we met only once after Parliament polls at Rahul ji's (Gandhi) residence."
He said the Congress unilaterally declared that it wants to form an alliance with Shiv Sena (UBT) but not with those who are with it.
It is their decision, the former Maharashtra chief minister said.
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"(Sharad) Pawar saheb (NCP-SP) is with us (in the BMC polls). Congress is not with us. At the national level we want everyone to be together. We, other regional parties and Congress should be there. There should be an attempt to (come together). I don't see any other alternative to it," Thackeray asserted.
The Congress, an important player in the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi in Maharashtra, decided to go solo in the January 15 Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls citing Shiv Sena (UBT's) alliance with the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS).
The Shiv Sena (UBT) was, however, keen to have the Congress as part of the larger alliance to avoid division of opposition votes.
When asked whether the MNS will be part of the INDIA bloc in future, Thackeray, in a veiled dig at the Congress, said, "Currently, the Shiv Sena (UBT), the MNS have come together. Anyone else who wants to come can join us. It's their wish. We are not going to ask them if they want to come along."
The Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance was formed by several opposition parties to take on the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
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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.
