Party needs to introspect, stop pretending all is well: BJP leader on Arjun Singh's return to TMC
Kolkata (PTI): BJP national secretary Anupam Hazra Monday called for introspection within the party, a day after its MP Arjun Singh returned to the TMC, contending that the saffron camp needs to fix lacunae instead of pretending all is well .
In yet another body-blow to the beleaguered saffron camp in West Bengal, Singh had on Sunday rejoined the ruling Trinamool Congress, calling it his homecoming .
"If someone leaves the party, and you keep on saying it won't have any impact, that is not the right approach. We have to accept that it will have an effect, and should introspect why people are leaving (the BJP)," Hazra tweeted.
Hazra, who has been training his guns at the state leadership for failing to keep the flock together, said at a time when the party is having a tough time winning municipal elections, a person holding a senior position quitting will indeed have an adverse impact.
"We should accept the reality; disregarding it won't serve any purpose. The approach that all is well' is not right," he later told a news channel.
The state BJP unit is yet to respond to Hazra's remarks.
The saffron party in West Bengal has been stung by a string of desertions following the assembly poll results last year, with former Union minister Babul Supriyo and five legislators, including national vice-president Mukul Roy, switching over to the TMC.
Several senior TMC leaders like Rajib Banerjee and Sabyasachi Dutta, who had joined the BJP, too, have returned to the Mamata Banerjee-led party.
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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.
