RS polls: BJP sends its Rajasthan MLAs to resort, RLP announces support to Subhash Chandra
Jaipur, June 6: The BJP on Monday shifted most of its Rajasthan MLAs to a resort here for a training camp ahead of the June 10 elections for four Rajya Sabha seats from the state, even as the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) announced to support the saffron party-backed independent candidate Subhash Chandra.
RLP national convener and Nagaur MP Hanuman Beniwal on Monday night announced to give support to Chandra, a media baron. The RLP, a former ally of the NDA, has three MLAs in the 200-member Rajasthan Assembly.
In a tweet, Beniwal said that the MLAs of his party will not give votes to BJP and Congress, and will cast votes in support of the independent candidate.
The BJP's action on Monday came days after a similar move by the state's ruling Congress.
The BJP shifted its MLAs to a resort in the outskirts of Jaipur in the name of a training camp. The MLAs will stay there and different sessions will be held, party leaders said.
While some MLAs reached the resort at Jamdoli on the Jaipur-Agra highway on their own, others took the two buses provided for them at the party office in the city.
Nearly 60 MLAs had reached the resort, a party leader said in the evening.
This is a training camp in which the MLAs will be given training on the Rajya Sabha elections, a party spokesperson said.
Senior leaders are expected to address sessions at the camp.
Meanwhile, in Udaipur, chief minister Ashok Gehlot took a meeting of the party and independent MLAs who are staying in a hotel and asked them to stay united to win three out of four seats of Rajya Sabha.
Congress sources said more than 100 MLAs, including 12 of the 13 independents, are present in the hotel in Udaipur.
The Congress had shifted the MLAs to Udaipur on June 2, saying it fears horse-trading by the BJP.
The chief minister took a meeting of the MLAs and asked them to stay alert for any attempt of horse-trading by the BJP for the Rajya Sabha elections. He asked the MLAs to stay united, a source said.
All the three Congress candidates - Mukul Wasnik, Randeep Surjewala and Pramod Tiwari -- were also present there. The The BJP has nominated one candidate and is backing Chandra as an independent.
Meanwhile, Director General of Anti-Corruption Bureau B L Soni held a meeting with officers and directed them to stay alert to check any attempts of horse-trading for the Rajya Sabha elections.
Reacting to government chief whip Mahesh Joshi's complaint given on Sunday, the DG called a meeting on Monday which was attended by in charges of all ACB chowkies/units in Jaipur.
An ACB spokesperson said that the complaint given by the chief whip has been registered for inquiry and the matter has been handed over to ACB SP Yogesh Dadhich.
Possibilities of horse trading are there. So, I have submitted a written complaint to the ACB to remain alert and to make such attempts unsuccessful," Joshi had said on Sunday after giving the complaint.
The Congress with its 108 MLAs in the 200-member state assembly is set to win two seats.
After winning the two spots, the Congress will have 26 surplus votes, 15 short of the required 41 to win a third seat.
Congress leaders claim the support of 126 MLAs, including 108 from the party itself. The party needs 123 MLAs to win three seats.
The BJP has 71 MLAs in the state Assembly, enough to get one seat in the Rajya Sabha this time. After that it will be left with 30 surplus votes. Thus, 30 surplus votes of BJP and three of RLP (total 33) are with independent candidate Subhash Chandra. He is short of eight MLAs to win the seat.
Meanwhile, former deputy CM Sachin Pilot reached Sriganganagar from New Delhi by a train and was given a grand welcome by the party workers and locals.
From there, he went to Punjab to meet Sidhu Moosewala's family members at the slain singer's village in Mansa district and left for New Delhi.
Pilot had reached Udaipur from New Delhi with Pramod Tiwari on Friday and later in the evening, he had left for New Delhi.
.@RLPINDIAorg के तीनों विधायक आगामी राज्य सभा चुनाव में भाजपा व कांग्रेस के उम्मीदवार को वोट नहीं देंगे व लोकतंत्र की गरिमा का सम्मान करते हुए निर्दलीय उम्मीदवार श्री @subhashchandra के समर्थन में मतदान करेंगे !
— HANUMAN BENIWAL (@hanumanbeniwal) June 6, 2022
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
===================
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.
