Shiv Sena says creating alliance parallel to UPA sans Cong akin to strengthening 'fascist' forces
Mumbai, Dec 4: In a snub to Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee, whose party is currently engaged in a tussle with the Congress, the Shiv Sena on Saturday said keeping the grand old party away from national politics and creating an opposition alliance parallel to the UPA without it is akin to strengthening the ruling BJP and the "fascist" forces.
In an editorial in party mouthpiece 'Saamana', the Sena also said that those who don't want a Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) should make their stand clear publicly, instead of creating confusion by talking behind back.
It said that if even those people who are fighting the BJP feel that the Congress should cease to exist, then this attitude is the "biggest threat", and added that if there is no unity among the opposition parties, then the talk of creating a political alternative to the BJP should stop.
The Sena's remarks come in the wake of Mamata Banerjee's recent visit to Mumbai, in which she made a cryptic statement that 'there is no UPA now'. On Friday, TMC mouthpiece 'Jago Bangla' had launched a fresh attack on the grand old party, stating that it has gone into a "deep freezer".
Recently, 'Jago Bangla' had also claimed that Mamata Banerjee, and not Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, has emerged as the face of the opposition against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"After Mamata Banerjee's Mumbai visit, the opposition parties have swung into action. There is a consensus on creating a strong alternative to the BJP, but there is a lot of discussion happening on who is to be taken along and who is to be kept away from this alliance. But if there is no unanimity, nobody should talk about taking on the BJP. Leadership is a secondary issue, but there should at least be a decision on coming together," the Sena, which shares power with the Congress and the NCP in Maharashtra, said.
"One can understand that if Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP work for the defeat of the Congress since it is a part of their agenda. But if even those who are against Modi and the BJP wish ill of the Congress, then it is the biggest threat," it added.
The party said that although the decline of the Congress over the last one decade is a cause of concern, plans to further push the party down and occupy its space are dangerous.
It also referred to poll strategist Prashant Kishor's recent tweet that Congress' leadership is not the "divine right" of an individual, especially when the party has "lost more than 90 per cent elections in last 10 years".
Kishor and his I-PAC team have been working for the TMC since the assembly poll in West Bengal and are working on devising strategies in expanding the party nationally.
"Prashant Kishor has made this historic remark that Congress did not have the divine right to lead the opposition. No one had got divine rights. Earlier, the BJP was ridiculed that it was born to permanently sit on the opposition benches, but despite the criticism the party has now scaled new heights," the editorial said.
The Uddhav Thackeray-led party added that Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are giving a fight facing all challenges and ridicule.
The Congress's bad luck is that those who grew politically because of that party are now trying to stifle it, it added.
Referring to Banerjee's remark that the UPA doesn't exist, the Sena said ,"Just like UPA, NDA doesn't exist. The BJP doesn't need NDA, but the opposition parties need UPA. Creating an alliance parallel to UPA is like strengthening the BJP."
On the issue of leadership of the UPA, it said those who don't want a Congress-led UPA should make their stand clear publicly and not create confusion by talking behind back.
"Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi should also speak about what they plan to do with the UPA. Those who want a strong alliance of opposition parties should take initiative to strengthen the UPA. Even though there may be differences with the Congress, the UPA can still materialize," the Sena said.
Those who want that a strong opposition front should emerge in the country, should come forward to strengthen the UPA by taking the Congress along, it said.
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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.
