Gujarat college principal asks students to become BJP 'page pramukhs'; angry Congress lashes out
Bhavnagar(PTI): The principal of a women's college in Gujarat's Bhavnagar city issued an order asking her students to become 'page pramukhs' (electoral roll page in charge at booth level) of the ruling BJP.
The local Congress unit decried the move and attacked the BJP for making use of such educational institutions to further their political goals, while the trust that runs the institution said she had resigned.
In an order dated June 24, Ranjanbala Gohil, the in charge principal of Smt NC Gandhi and Smt BV Gandhi Mahila Arts and Commerce College here, asked all students living within Bhavnagar civic limits to come with a passport size photograph and carry mobile phones to become 'page pramukh' of the BJP.
"Every student should bring their passport size photo tomorrow to register as a page pramukh in the BJP party. Only students living within the limits of Bhavnagar Municipal Corporation can become members. In order to join the membership drive in the BJP party, every student needs to come to college tomorrow with a mobile phone," her order stated.
College Trustee Dhiren Vaishnav said the order came to his notice on Sunday night, after which he immediately discussed it with fellow trustees and contacted Gohil.
"All institutes of Bhavnagar Stree Kelavani Mandal Trust focus on developmental and educational activities and do not associate themselves with any political programme. The in charge principal accepted her mistake and has told us she had no personal interest in getting students enrolled as BJP members," Vaishnav said.
"There was no external or internal pressure on her to resign. But she requested the Trust to free her from her responsibilities and has resigned," he added.
Meanwhile, Prakash Vaghani, chief of Bhavnagar city unit of the Congress, said, "The BJP talks about being the world's largest political party. It is now clear how it became this big. This is not the only institute. There are many other institutes that work under the BJP, and the party controls them."
Assembly polls will be held later this year and the BJP, which has ruled the state for 27 years, has embarked on a primary membership drive.
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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.
