As Maharashtra Sena minister goes incommunicado, BJP says no role in it
Mumbai(PTI): Maharashtra BJP president Chandrakant Patil on Tuesday said his party has got nothing to do with political developments in the ruling Shiv Sena, whose minister Eknath Shinde has gone incommunicado along with some MLAs.
But, Patil also said if the BJP receives any proposal from Eknath Shinde to form government, they would "definitely consider it".
Shinde along with some Shiv Sena MLAs had gone incommunicado, a party leader said earlier on Tuesday, a day after the ruling Maha Vikas Agahdi (MVA-comprising the Sena, NCP and Congress) suffered a setback in the Maharashtra Legislative Council polls by losing one out of the six seats it contested.
Later, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut said Shinde is not in Mumbai, but a communication has been established with him. He also said that BJP's attempts, like in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, to topple the MVA government will not succeed.
According to sources, Shinde was camping along with some Sena MLAs at a hotel in Gujarat's Surat city.
When contacted, Patil told PTI, "It is the Shiv Sena's internal matter. We are not aware why Shinde went to Surat with his party colleagues. We have nothing to do with his move."
"If the BJP receives any proposal from Eknath Shinde to form government, we would definitely consider it seriously. After all, we all have worked together in the past, hence it is much better to work and run a government with them," the BJP leader said.
Patil also claimed that Raut was solely responsible for frosty relations between the Sena and the BJP.
"He (Raut) is also doing a lot of damage to the state...and he is doing it on someone's behalf," the BJP leader further claimed.
The Shiv Sena had snapped ties with long-term ally after the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly polls over the issue of sharing the chief ministerial post. The Sena later tied-up with the NCP and Congress to form government in the state.
Meanwhile, Union minister and BJP Rajya Sabha member Narayan Rane came out openly in support of Eknath Shinde.
"Well done Eknathji, you took the right decision at the appropriate time. Otherwise, soon you would have ended up like Anand Dighe, Rane tweeted.
Dighe, the Shiv Sena leader from Thane, had died in 2001.
Meanwhile, some BJP leaders claimed they were aware of the growing "unrest" within the Shiv Sena.
Senior BJP leader and former state minister Sudhir Mungantiwar said his party has been consistently raising objections over the Shiv Sena-led government's style of functioning.
"There was no secret that several Sena leaders were unhappy with the government as well, he said.
Asked if the BJP would try to form government with the support of Shiv Sena 'rebel' MLAs, Mungantiwar said he would not comment on it as he has not spoken to his party colleagues about these developments.
"In the MLC elections on Monday, the BJP managed to secure 134 votes, which technically means we are short of 11 votes (in the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly) to stake claim to form government. But, it easier to say it than actually make it happen," he said.
Senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis did not respond to messages sent to him for comments over the political developments in the state.
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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.
