Does Rahul stand with accused number one Siddaramaiah, asks BJP
New Delhi (PTI): The BJP on Saturday asserted that the registration of a case on several criminal charges, including corruption, against Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has exposed the Congress, as it noted that the FIR was lodged following a court order and central agencies had no role in it.
BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi told reporters that it is a rare case of a sitting chief minister being made an accused in a corruption case and has unmasked the "corrupt face" of the Congress.
Siddaramaiah is the accused number one in the case, he said and took a swipe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, asking if he stood with the chief minister accused of corrupt practices.
The Karnataka Lokayukta police on Friday registered an FIR against Siddaramaiah and others in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) site allotment case, following the court order.
A special court in Bengaluru on Wednesday ordered a Lokayukta police probe against Siddaramaiah in the case, setting the stage for filing an FIR against him.
With the Congress leadership accusing the BJP of targeting the chief minister for political reasons, Trivedi noted that central probe agencies had no role in this FIR.
He claimed that the case is an outcome of Siddaramaiah's own misdeeds, as he and his family abused government powers to acquire assets illegally.
He said a Congress candidate in the Haryana assembly polls had recently said that his party leaders will use power to enrich themselves and their relatives, and alleged that the Karnataka chief minister had already been doing it.
While Congress leaders pocket thousands of crores of rupees, they give "lollypop" of a few thousands to people, he said.
At the press conference, the BJP spokesperson also slammed the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal for its "nexus" with criminals over the case of rape of an IAS officer's wife.
He made a mention of the Calcutta High Court's critical observation of the police investigation in the case to hit out at the regional party.
It shows how dangerous the state has become for women, and a heinous nexus is visible between government officials and criminals, he alleged.
Replying to a question about Gandhi's allegation that the poor had no place in the Ram temple inauguration ceremony, Trivedi accused the Congress of repeatedly disrespecting the temple and noted that workers involved in its construction were felicitated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and showered with flower petals.
He objected to the use of phrase like "naach gana" (song and dance) by Gandhi in the context of the temple's inauguration ceremony.
He said three generations of Gandhi family had gone to Mughal king Babar's grave in Afghanistan to pay their respects, and claimed that their stand on the temple shows their real nature and contempt for Hinduism.
Referring to Pakistani prime minister's comments in the UN targeting India over developments in Kashmir, Trivedi said the Congress-National Conference has also been speaking the same language.
Noting that the anniversary of the surgical strikes targeting terrorists in Pakistan in 2016 fell on Saturday, he said the Congress and Pakistan have been echoing each other's views since then.
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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.
