BJP, JD(S) boycott Assembly proceedings in protest against suspension of 10 MLAs
Bengaluru (PTI): The opposition BJP and the JD(S) boycotted proceedings of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly for the second day on Friday, after the Speaker suspended 10 BJP members for the remainder of the session, for their "indecent and disrespectful" conduct in the House.
Today is the last day of the legislature session that began on July 3.
BJP legislators staged a sit-in demonstration in front of the Gandhi statue at Vidhana Soudha and raised slogans against the government and the Speaker U T Khader.
A joint delegation of both BJP and JD(S) had on Thursday petitioned Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot regarding the "functioning" of the Congress government in the state, its "suppressive and dictatorial" nature, and also the conduct of the Speaker.
The Speaker too had met the Governor along with Deputy Speaker Rudrappa Lamani and submitted to him a report regarding the proceedings in the Assembly on Wednesday.
The Assembly on Wednesday witnessed chaotic and unruly scenes as angry BJP legislators tore copies of bills and the agenda and threw them at Lamani, who was presiding, following which the Speaker Khader suspended 10 of them for the remainder of the session.
The 10 BJP legislators who have been suspended for the remainder of the session for their "indecent and disrespectful conduct" in the House are -- C N Ashwath Narayan, V Sunil Kumar, R Ashoka, Araga Jnanendra (all former ministers), D Vedavyasa Kamath, Yashpal Suvarna, Dheeraj Muniraj, A Umanath Kotian, Arvind Bellad and Y Bharath Shetty.
They were suspended after the House adopted a motion to this effect on Wednesday.
In turn, MLAS of the opposition BJP and JD(S) gave notice of no-confidence against the Speaker to the Assembly Secretary.
The turn of events had unfolded as opposition BJP and JD(S) members protested from the well of the House, accusing the Congress government of deputing 30 IAS officers to "serve" its alliance leaders, who had met in the city on Monday and Tuesday in the city, to strategise for the 2024 Lok Sabha election.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
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
===================
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.
