All 'tourists' are welcome in Assam, says CM Himanta on Maharashtra MLAs camping in Guwahati
New Delhi(PTI): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday sought to downplay the camping of Maharashtra's rebel Shiv Sena MLAs in his state saying all "tourists" are welcome there.
Sarma also said he has nothing to do with the politics of Maharashtra where the survival of the Uddhav Thackeray-led government is at stake after 38 of his party's MLAs rebelled and are currently camping at a hotel in Guwahati after being flown there in several flights.
"Some people have come to Assam. They booked hotels. I am happy for that. You also come, it will help Assam's economy. Through this, Assam's tourism is also getting promoted," he said after accompanying NDA's presidential candidate Draupadi Murmu while filing her nominations here at Parliament complex.
Asked about the ongoing political developments in Maharashtra, he said he cannot comment on it as it is a big state.
"How can I comment on Maharashtra. It is a big state. I am happy that people are choosing Assam as a preferred destination," he said.
Reacting to the claims that his BJP-led government was allegedly ignoring flood relief work and busy hosting the MLAs from Maharashtra, the chief minister said he cannot order closure of hotels in the Assam capital due to floods in some parts of the state.
"I dont's know what kind of mindset these people have. Should I shut down Guwahati's hotels because there is flood in some part of the state. We are providing relief to the flood affected people. How can I shut the hotels in Guwahati. If tomorrow, you decide to come and stay in a hotel in Guwahati for 10 days, as a CM, should I say that you should not come," he said.
"We have spent so much money to promote tourism, (we say) visit Kamakhya, visit Kaziranga, now, should I stop those who have come to Assam," he added.
When asked whether the Shiv Sena MLAs were kept as a "hostage" in Assam, Sarma said: "What kind of hostage? They are in a hotel. They are happy. They are our guests. Generally we just see whether everyone visiting Assam is comfortable".
Asked about West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's offer that the Maharashtra MLAs should come to her state, Sarma shot back, saying Banerjee wanted to take away the "Lakshmi" which came to Assam.
"There is always competition between Assam and Bengal on tourism. Mamata di wanted to take away the 'Lakshmi' which came to my place. If they go to Bengal, Bengal will get the GST. I want to tell Mamata di that those who want to come to Assam, at least spare them. Don't take away them. Yours is a big state," he said.
Sarma also lauded the NDA's decision to nominate Murmu as the Presidential candidate and termed her as "an able administrator and social worker" who has the experience of being a minister, governor and teacher.
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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.
