Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann to get married on Thursday
Chandigarh, Jul 6: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will on Thursday tie the nuptial knot for the second time.
Mann (48) separated from his first wife in 2015. He has two children from his first marriage.
"The chief minister is getting married in a private ceremony here tomorrow. He will tie the knot with Dr Gurpreet Kaur, who belongs to Pehowa in Haryana's Kurukshetra," AAP's Punjab unit chief spokesperson Malvinder Singh Kang told PTI over the phone.
Only family members, including Mann's mother, sister, relatives, and a few guests will attend the wedding, sources said, adding Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal is expected to be in attendance.
Sources said that this marriage is an arranged one.
State ministers Harjot Bains and Aman Arora as well as the party's senior leader Raghav Chadha congratulated Mann on Twitter.
"Wishing my Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann Ji a very happy and blessed married life ahead. I wish them both a lifetime of love, respect and companionship," Bains said.
Arora congratulated Mann for starting married life and wished "both a life full of happiness, joy, love, prosperity, health and companionship. May the almighty shower His blessings on both of you".
Senior AAP leader Raghav Chadha gave his best wishes to Mann and his would-be wife.
"Best wishes to my 'vadde veer' (elder brother) Mann Saab and Dr Gurpreet Kaur for a happy and blessed married life," tweeted Chadha, who is a Rajya Sabha MP.
Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring also congratulated Mann as he starts a "new chapter in his life".
"My heartiest congratulations to the CM Bhagwant Mann Ji as he starts a new chapter in his life tomorrow. Best wishes for a happy and blissful married life ahead," he tweeted.
Mann's 21-year-old daughter Seerat and 17-year-old son Dilshan from his first marriage had flown in from the US for the ceremony when he took oath as Punjab chief minister in March.
Bhagwant Mann had taken oath on March 16 as Punjab chief minister at a ceremony held in freedom fighter Bhagat Singh's village Khatkar Kalan village in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district.
AAP had stormed to power in Punjab earlier this year winning 92 of the 117-Assembly seats.
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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.
