SAD has firm alliance with BSP, will not join hands with ex-ally BJP: Sukhbir Badal
Hoshiarpur, Nov 23: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal Tuesday said his party has a firm alliance with the BSP and it will not join hands with former partner BJP.
The SAD's future lies with the BSP, he said while talking to reporters at Chabbewal, about 36 km from here.
"We have a firm alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)," he said while replying to a question and asserted that the SAD will not join hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The old alliance between the BJP and the SAD broke last year when the Shiromani Akali Dal quit the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) over the farm laws.
The elections for the 117-member Punjab Assembly are expected to witness a multi-cornered contest among the ruling Congress, the SAD-BSP alliance, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the BJP.
When asked to comment on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal making promises for various sections of the society ahead of Punjab polls, Badal said the AAP chief should implement these in Delhi first.
"First, he should give permanent jobs to teachers, who were on contract there, and then give guarantee of permanent jobs to them in Punjab. By giving false guarantees, Kejriwal cannot befool the people of the state," he said.
He alleged that former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh did not fulfill promises made to the people of the state before the last assembly elections and now present Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi was making tall promises.
Badal alleged that both Kejriwal and Channi were lying to the people of state and making false promises.
"Kejriwal must prove his sincerity by first implementing the promises he's making in Punjab in his own state, otherwise, Punjabis will not believe him. Why has he not given an allowance to women, 300 units of free power and also regularised jobs in Delhi," he questioned.
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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.
