Sharad Pawar warns about 'urban naxalization' in big cities of Maharashtra
Gadchiroli, Nov 18: Naxal activities are not limited to only remote areas of eastern Maharashtra but 'urban naxalization' is being seen in big cities of the state, NCP chief Sharad Pawar claimed on Thursday.
He was speaking to reporters in Gadchiroli district of the state where at least 27 naxals including senior Maoist leader Milind Teltumbde were killed in an encounter with police last Saturday.
Talking about the naxal menace in the district, which borders on Chhattisgarh, Pawar said the situation was improving.
But there is this "new phenomenon" where some elements are trying to create hatred against the government in other parts of the state too, he said.
"We can call this urban naxalisation," Pawar said.
"Some such forces are active in Nagpur, Pune, Mumbai and in parts of the Sahyadri ranges, as far as Kerala. There is a section which is trying to create public opinion and hatred against the government," he said.
Pawar's party is part of the government in Maharashtra and its minister holds the home portfolio.
"Special caution should be taken about this aspect immediately, otherwise new problems would emerge," the NCP chief, who was Maharashtra chief minister four times, warned.
Notably, BJP leaders have often used the term "urban naxals" to claim that Maoists have hidden supporters and sympathizers in urban areas.
Pawar, meanwhile, advocated a push to industrial development through mining in Surjagarh in Gadchiroli.
Protests had been staged by locals against mining in the area recently.
To a question about fear that mining will take away local tribals' livelihood from natural resources, Pawar said farming should be improved to provide new job opportunities.
"I feel that to remove the frustration of the young generation here, they should get job opportunities. Surjagarh will give them this right and opportunity in a big way and an important and permanent industry will develop here," he added.
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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.
