Congress can only give guarantee of loot: Nadda
New Delhi (PTI): BJP president J P Nadda on Monday claimed the Congress can only give a "guarantee of loot" as he accused the party of turning Karnataka into an ATM for collecting money through corruption to fund its poll campaign.
Nadda cited the reported recovery of over Rs 100 crore from some contractors in raids by probe agencies in Karnataka, saying it is shameful and an abhorrent joke with voters.
It is merely a sample of the Congress' corrupt DNA, he said on X.
The same "Congress-supported" contractor dished out lies against the BJP during the recent Karnataka polls, he said, a reference to the charge against then BJP government that contractors were forced to pay hefty commissions under its rule.
"The Congress and corruption are two sides of the same coin. Congress governments have made Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan ATMs of corruption. It wants to make Telangana and Madhya Pradesh similar ATMs to loot people's money," he said.
Nadda further alleged that the Congress is dreaming of power in Madhya Pradesh and Telangana so that it could loot the money meant for the poor's welfare and states' development.
"The Congress can only give the guarantee of loot," the BJP president said.
With the Congress resorting to offering guarantees of specific welfare measures, a plank it successfully used in Karnataka, Nadda took a swipe, saying the party has mastered the art of making promises and has gone a step further by giving guarantees instead of promises.
Corruption has grown exponentially in Karnataka after the Congress came to power there, the BJP chief claimed, adding it is clear that the Congress' guarantee is always of corruption.
Income Tax officials have recovered a large amount of cash during raids on several people, including a contractor, his son, a gymnasium instructor and an architect in Karnataka.
The BJP and the Congress are engaged in a keen contest in the current round of state assembly polls, with the two parties involved in a direct contest in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan and vying for power along with the ruling BRS in Telangana.
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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.
