Manmohan Singh not contesting from Amritsar, no Cong-AAP alliance in Punjab: Amarinder Singh
Chandigarh, Mar 12: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said Tuesday that former prime minister Manmohan Singh was "never in the reckoning", rejecting reports that the Congress may field him from Amritsar in the Lok Sabha polls.
He also denied any alliance talks with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) or any other party for the polls in the state.
"The Congress did not need any alliance in Punjab, nor was it in talks with any party on the same," he said.
Earlier in the day, AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal said in Delhi that his party and a breakaway outfit of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) are in talks for an alliance in Punjab for the Lok Sabha polls.
Amarinder Singh, who turned 77 on Monday, described his meeting with the former prime minister in Delhi as a courtesy call, during which he briefed him about Congress' plans in Punjab.
"Former prime minister Manmohan Singh was never in the reckoning for candidature as he had made it clear that he was not interested in contesting elections," the chief minister said here.
He along with party's in-charge for Punjab affairs Asha Kumari and state Congress chief Sunil Jakhar had met Manmohan Singh in New Delhi on Sunday and according to some reports, they urged him to contest the Lok Sabha elections from Amritsar.
Although some reports suggested that Manmohan Singh was not inclined to contest polls because of his age.
Exuding confidence about the Congress prospects in the parliamentary elections, Amarinder Singh said the party was gung-ho about these polls, as was evident from the fact that it had chosen Ahmedabad the home turf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the CWC meeting.
In response to a question on the Punjab Congress candidates, Amarinder Singh said the next meeting was likely to be held in Delhi around the end of this week.
Asked about the party's star campaigner in the state, the chief minister said it was up to the Congress high command to decide the names of the key campaigners for the party in these elections.
On whether the IAF air strike across the LoC would prove beneficial to the ruling BJP at the Centre, Amarinder Singh, who was an Army captain, said with Indian soldiers continuing to be killed every day, the air strike had clearly not proved to be a deterrent so far against Pak-backed attacks on India.
He reiterated that no attempts should be made to politicise the Indian forces.
"The armed forces are apolitical and are above the petty considerations of caste, religion and political affiliations," the chief minister said.
Amarinder Singh expressed happiness at the fact that the Kartarpur Corridor project had remained on track despite the recent tensions at the border.
Islamabad had also clarified that the latest events will not have any adverse effect on the project, he said, adding that the corridor was something that people on both sides wanted.
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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.
