Basanagouda Patil Yatnal urges BJP leadership to send 'unbiased observer' to Karnataka
New Delhi: BJP leader and MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal has called on the central leadership of the party to dispatch an “unbiased observer” to Karnataka to evaluate the state unit's functioning. Yatnal has alleged a nexus between former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, his son and BJP state president B.Y. Vijayendra, and Congress leaders.
After receiving a show-cause notice from the party, Yatnal submitted a six-page written response and met BJP central disciplinary committee member secretary Om Pathak. He criticised the state BJP leadership under Vijayendra, stating that the unit has “collapsed” due to “adjustment politics and dynastic corruption.”
Yatnal also accused Yediyurappa of sidelining Lingayat leaders to promote his family and claimed that workers had lost faith in the state leadership. “An independently thinking central leader will realise the ground reality in Karnataka,” he said, adding that he presented evidence of his claims during the meeting.
The MLA further asserted that the party should strengthen its commitment to Hindutva principles, which he claimed were gaining traction in states like Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. “The people of Karnataka are unwilling to accept leaders who do not align with Hindutva,” he remarked.
Pathak reportedly advised Yatnal to avoid airing grievances in the media and assured him that his concerns would be conveyed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and BJP president J.P. Nadda.
Meanwhile, BJP general secretary in charge of Karnataka, Radha Mohan Das Agarwal, has been tasked with addressing the factional issues in the state unit. Union Minister V. Somanna, former CM Basavaraj Bommai, and MP Sudhakar also met with Nadda, who assured them that the leadership would resolve the infighting at the earliest.
Yatnal reiterated his loyalty to the party, stating, “I am a loyal party leader, and nobody can finish me off.”
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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.
