Prashant Kishor says Congress leadership not divine right of individual, Congress hits back
New Delhi/Kolkata, Dec 2: The space represented by the Congress is vital but its leadership is not the divine right of an individual particularly when it has lost 90 per cent elections in the last 10 years, poll strategist Prashant Kishor said on Thursday in an apparent swipe at Rahul Gandhi.
A day after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's comment that there was no UPA anymore, Kishor, who has earlier been political advisor to various parties, also called for democratically electing the opposition leadership.
His remark sparked a sharp response from the Congress with party spokesperson Pawan Khera saying on Twitter, The individual being discussed here is pursuing his Divine Duty to struggle and save Indian democracy from the RSS.
"A professional without ideological commitment is free to advice parties/individuals on how to contest elections but he cannot set the agenda of our politics," he said.
"This bogey of Congress assuming a 'Divine Right To Rule' needs to be busted. Rahul Gandhi is carrying forward our rich legacy of a 'Divine Duty To Struggle'," the Congress leader said.
Khera also hit out at Banerjee saying that a regional leader who is not a part of the UPA claiming UPA does not exist is a bizarre claim. "Just because I'm not a citizen of the USA doesn't mean USA doesn't exist," he said.
Congress leader Kapil Sibal, a prominent member of the 'group of 23' that wrote to Sonia Gandhi seeking large scale organisational overhaul in the party also called for opposition unity and said the UPA without the Congress will be a body without a soul.
His party colleague Anand Sharma, another 'G-23' member, said the Congress was the main national opposition party and remains a central pillar for a collective national effort.
He favoured a broad-based understanding and cooperation among secular, progressive and democratic political parties on people's issues to defeat the BJP. "That is the need of hour. That will connect with people's expectation."
"The IDEA and SPACE that Congress represents is vital for a strong opposition. But Congress' leadership is not the DIVINE RIGHT of an individual especially, when the party has lost more than 90% elections in last 10 years," Kishor had tweeted.
"Let opposition leadership be decided Democratically," he added.
Kishor and his I-PAC team have been working for the Trinamool Congress since the assembly poll in West Bengal and are working on devising strategies in expanding the party nationally.
His remarks come at a time the TMC has made a conscious effort to not follow Congress' leadership of the opposition in Parliament and questioned the party's ability to take on the BJP.
A few months ago, Kishor had held talks with the Congress leadership over his possible induction into the party. He had also met former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and there was serious talk over his entry into the grand old party but it did not materialise.
Kishor had taken potshots at the Congress two months ago as well, saying those looking for a quick revival of the opposition led by the grand old party following the Lakhimpur Kheri incident are in for a big disappointment as there are no quick-fix solutions to its "deep-rooted problems".
On Wednesday, TMC chief Banerjee met NCP supremo Sharad Pawar in Mumbai and called for fighting the BJP unitedly while taking barely veiled swipes at the Congress leadership.
While Banerjee made remarks like "there is no UPA now" and one can not achieve anything by staying abroad "most of the time", Pawar said leadership was not an issue at present and all like-minded parties were welcome to join the fight against the BJP.
Interacting with members of civil society, Banerjee claimed she had suggested to the Congress that an advisory council of prominent personalities from civil society be set up to give a direction to the opposition but it was "in vain".
If all "regional parties come together", it would be easy to defeat the BJP, she said.
The TMC has inducted several Congress leaders in its fold. Recently, 12 out of 17 Congress MLAs in Meghalaya defected to the party.
The IDEA and SPACE that #Congress represents is vital for a strong opposition. But Congress’ leadership is not the DIVINE RIGHT of an individual especially, when the party has lost more than 90% elections in last 10 years.
— Prashant Kishor (@PrashantKishor) December 2, 2021
Let opposition leadership be decided Democratically.
The individual being discussed here is pursuing his Divine Duty to struggle and save Indian democracy from the RSS. A professional without ideological commitment is free to advice parties/individuals on how to contest elections but he cannot set the agenda of our politics https://t.co/48jDCdYkx8
— Pawan Khera (@Pawankhera) December 2, 2021
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
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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.
