BJP interested in politics, not discussing public issues during legislature session: DK Shivakumar
Hubballi (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Sunday hit out at the opposition BJP, accusing it of indulging in "politics" and not showing any interest in discussing issues concerning the state and its people, during the ongoing winter session of legislature in Belagavi.
He claimed that the saffron party in the state was a divided house, and hence they were not interested on discussing real issues.
"BJP is not interested in any discussion, what to do?....they are not interested in anything else other than doing politics. There is no unity among them, so they are doing such things," Shivakumar told reporters here in response to a question about issues relating to north Karnataka not being discussed in the legislature session so far.
The session that began on December 9 will continue during the coming week too.
Belagavi, bordering Maharashtra, has been hosting legislature sessions once a year since 2006.
Suvarna Vidhana Soudha, modeled on the Vidhana Soudha, the state secretariat in Bengaluru, was built as an assertion that Belagavi is an integral part of Karnataka. Maharashtra claims Belagavi and some nearby places belong to it.
To a question whether irrigation issues relating to north Karnataka be discussed during the session, Shivakumar, who is also the Water Resources Minister, said the government was ready for discussion on any issue.
Asked about Mahadayi project, the Deputy CM said, "I had recently met union forest minister (Bhupender Yadav) and union minister Pralhad Joshi regarding this... we have called tenders and things are ready, and as soon as we get permission (from Centre), we will start the work."
Joshi and BJP MP Jagadish Shettar should take the responsibility to obtain permissions, he said. "We are somewhat confident about getting permissions."
The Mahadayi project is a drinking water initiative that aims to divert water from the Mahadayi river to drought-hit districts in north Karnataka.
Asked why no politicians have been named in the FIR registered in connection with COVID-19 scam that allegedly took place during previous BJP regime, Shivakumar said, "We have not said anything on BJP leaders, actions are being taken based on Justice Michael D' Cunha Commission report. Based on the recommendations made in the report FIR has been registered, let's see what happens."
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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.
