CM Thackeray says no proposal to dissolve Assembly: Maharashtra Congress chief
Mumbai (PTI): Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole on Wednesday said Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has made it clear that there was no proposal to recommend dissolution of the state Assembly.
Patole's remarks came in the backdrop of reports that the ongoing political developments in the state could lead to dissolution of the Assembly.
"We will run the government effectively," Patole said quoting Thackeray.
Patole said senior Congress leader Kamal Nath, who is in Mumbai in the wake of the political crisis in the Maharashtra government, spoke to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray over phone, since the latter has tested positive for COVID-19.
Patole told reporters that Thackeray has asserted that the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA- comprising the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress) will sail through the present crisis, and there was no proposal to recommend dissolution of the state Assembly.
Earlier in the day, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut in a tweet said the ongoing political developments in Maharashtra could lead to dissolution of the state Assembly.
Raut's remarks came amid the ongoing crisis in the state's Maha Vikas Aghadi after the rebellion by senior Shiv Sena leader and minister Eknath Shinde.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra minister and Congress Legislature Party leader Balasaheb Thorat said 41 MLAs (out of the total 44 in the state) attended the CLP meeting in Mumbai on Wednesday.
The three others were on their way to the state capital, he said. "The Congress is united and all the 44 MLAs are together," Thorat said.
Shinde has said he has 46 MLAs supporting him. I have more numbers (of Shiv Sena MLAs) than needed (to form a separate group in the Assembly without inviting the anti-defection law provisions), he told a Marathi TV channel.
The Sena has 55 members in the 288-member state Assembly.
A chartered flight carrying Shinde and Shiv Sena MLAs, who have rebelled against the party, arrived in Assam's Guwahati city early Wednesday.
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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.
