Ex-PCC chief meets BJP leaders, fuels speculation about joining saffron party
Dehradun, Jan 4: Former president of Uttarakhand Congress Kishore Upadhyay met senior state BJP leaders here on Monday night fuelling speculation in the media that he might join the saffron party.
The meeting took place at the residence of state BJP's organisational general secretary Ajeya Kumar in the presence of BJP election in-charge Pralhad Joshi.
However, Upadhyay dismissed the speculation in this regard as rumour saying he was meeting different people in connection with his Vanadhikar Andolan as he wanted the coming assembly polls in Uttarakhand to be fought on the concerns of the hill state.
He appealed to people not to pay heed to such "rumours".
Upadhyay is the founder of Vanadhikar Andolan, a movement that fights for the right of locals on the state's forest resources.
His meeting with BJP leaders in the election season when political affiliations and loyalties are often being switched was quick to fuel speculation about his likely cross-over.
Former BJP MLA from Purola reserved seat in Uttarkashi, Malchand and Uttarkashi zila panchayat president Dipak Bijlwan joined the Congress in Delhi on Monday while ex-IPS officer Anant Ram Chauhan who was the working president of AAP and head of the party's Garhwal division also joined the Congress on Sunday.
Founder president of Akhil Bharatiya Kshatriya Sena Gaurav Singh Rana on Monday joined the BJP here along with office bearers of the outfit in the presence of Pradesh BJP vice president Devendra Bhasin.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
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
===================
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.
