Have applied for party name & symbol, says Former Punjab CM Amarinder Singh
Chandigarh, Oct 27: Former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh, who is set to launch his new political party, said on Wednesday that he has applied for a party name and a symbol, and an announcement will be made after the Election Commission's approval.
Singh had last week said he would soon launch his own party, and that he was hopeful of a seat adjustment with the BJP provided the ongoing farmers' stir against farm laws was resolved in their interest.
"I am forming a party. But I can't tell you the name right now. When the Election Commission approves a name and symbol, only then I can tell you. Let's wait for the EC to approve," he said addressing a press conference here.
"We have made a request for a symbol and a name for the party," he added.
Punjab goes to polls early next year.
Meanwhile, Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, with whom Amarinder Singh had been at loggerheads, again launched an attack on the former CM.
"We, the 78 MLAs of Congress, could never imagine, what we received an arm-twisted, ED controlled BJP loyal Chief Minister of Punjab @ capt-amarinder who sold the interests of Punjab to save his skin! You were the negative force stalling justice & development of Punjab," Sidhu tweeted.
Amarinder Singh, who faced an unceremonious exit from the state government last month, had also said that he was looking at alliances with like-minded parties such as breakaway Akali groups and he reiterated this in a press conference.
The two-time chief minister had earlier added that he would not rest till he secures the future of my people and my state .
Amarinder Singh had resigned as the Punjab chief minister last month amid a bitter power tussle with Punjab Congress chief Sidhu.
After resigning, he had said that he felt "humiliated".
The Congress replaced Amarinder Singh with Charanjit Singh Channi.
Amarinder Singh had also dubbed Sidhu "anti-national" and "dangerous", saying he would pit a strong candidate against the state party chief in the upcoming assembly polls.
He had last month met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi and had discussed the prolonged farmers' stir with him while urging him to resolve the crisis urgently with the repeal of the three farm laws.
We the 78 MLAs of Congress, could never imagine, what we received an arm-twisted, ED controlled BJP loyal Chief Minister of Punjab @capt_amarinder … who sold the interests of Punjab to save his skin ! You were the negative force stalling Justice & development of Punjab
— Navjot Singh Sidhu (@sherryontopp) October 27, 2021
You wanted to close doors on me, as i was raising voice of the People, speaking truth to power !
— Navjot Singh Sidhu (@sherryontopp) October 27, 2021
Last time you formed your own party, you lost your ballot, garnering only 856 votes … People of Punjab are again waiting to punish you for compromising on the interests of Punjab !!
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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.
