Sena rebels will 'regret' their decision to part ways, but are free to ally with BJP: Sanjay Raut
Mumbai, Jun 30: Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Thursday said rebel MLAs have chosen their own way and there would be no hindrance from the party in the path of the dissidents associating themselves with the BJP as he once again targeted the breakaway group whose revolt last week brought down the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.
He also tweeted an image of a man in a white kurta pyjama, who is presumably dressed like Uddhav Thackeray, with blood oozing from a wound on his back. This is exactly what happened, Raut tweeted, alluding to the dissidents who switched sides.
While chairing his last cabinet meeting as chief Minister on Wednesday, Uddhav Thackeray, who is also the Sena president, said he was betrayed by his own people.
Raut said the Sena, which headed the MVA government, will play the role of a constructive opposition to the new dispensation.
Talking to reporters a day after Thackeray resigned as the chief minister following a rebellion led by Thane strongman Eknath Shinde that brought down his government, Raut said the dissident leaders will "regret" their decision to part ways with the Shiv Sena.
Raut said he will also go to the Enforcement Directorate's office here on Friday in response to the summons issued to him by the agency in a money laundering case, and clear his position.
"You (rebel leaders) will regret this. Eknath Shinde (the leader of the rebel MLAs) was a staunch Shiv Sainik and worked for the party for many years. Be it (MLAs) Gulabrao Patil, Sandipan Bhumre and many (who are in the Shinde camp) who worked for the party and struggled for it they have chosen their path.
Shinde has claimed the support of 39 of the 55 Sena MLAs.
"We will not create any impediment in their path. They can have their association (with the BJP). We will do our work. Now our paths are different...We will work as a constructive opposition," he said.
Without taking BJP's name, Raut said he is well aware of those responsible for pressuring the Sena legislators, which led to the rebellion in the party.
The Rajya Sabha MP said everyone had a sense of trust in the Uddhav Thackeray-led government. Be it NCP chief Sharad Pawar or Congress president Sonia Gandhi, everybody trusted the CM.
"But efforts were on to bring down the government from day one and we were aware of this the way they (the BJP) brought different kinds of pressure through different means, like central agencies," Raut said.
The Sena rebels have blamed Raut, the party's chief spokesperson, for his visceral statements for widening the gap between them and the leadership.
Responding to this, Raut, a close aide of Thackeray, said, "If I am responsible for making Shiv Sainik a minister then I own it." He said the formation of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in November 2019 was a "fight for self-respect" and fulfillment of late Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray's dream to make a Shiv Sainik the chief minister.
Will the rebel MLAs make a Shiv Sainik the chief minister? Raut asked.
The Sena MP made the statement before the BJP announced that Shinde, an MLA from Thane district, will be the new CM.
The rebels have cited association with the Congress and NCP being the main reason for revolting against the party.
Raut said many of the rebel MLAs who are giving this pretext were earlier with the NCP. Many of these MLAs joined the Shiv Sena to become ministers.
The Sena MP asserted that his party will work with a new vigour. "The Shiv Sena is not born for power, but power is born for the Shiv Sena," he said.
नेमके हेच घडले! pic.twitter.com/nNkBXNAzB3
— Sanjay Raut (@rautsanjay61) June 30, 2022
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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.
