BJP warns K'taka govt of protest if fund given to 'guarantees' from SC/ST funds is not withdrawn
Bengaluru, Aug 4: Senior BJP leader Basavaraj Bommai on Friday warned the Congress government in Karnataka of state-wide protests on behalf of the SC/ST community, if it does not withdraw the Scheduled Castes Sub-Plan and Tribal Sub-Plan (SCSP-TSP) funds given to the five guarantee schemes.
The former CM said this while participating in the protest organised by the BJP at Freedom Park here, against the state government for allegedly diverting SCP-TSP funds to guarantee schemes.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah-led government is facing criticism for allocating Rs 11,144 crore of the total Rs 34,294 crore under SCP-TSP grants, for implementing the five guarantees.
Bommai alleged that the Congress, which came to power giving assurances to the people, is now ''playing games with the lives of Dalits''.
ALSO READ: 10-year-old dyslexic girl raped by principal in Bengaluru school
Noting that both Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D K Shivakumar, who had gone to Dalits' houses to give guarantee cards ahead of elections, should have told them that they will use SCP TSP money, he said, ''But, without telling then, now you are using the money of Dalits to arrange the money (for guarantee schemes), this is a betrayal of the Dalits.'' Alleging that the Congress government is leading the state towards bankruptcy in the name of guarantees, he said, ''I said during the budget itself, you (government) have said that you will give Rs 34,000 crores, but you are giving only about Rs 23,000 crores to SCP TSP. You have earmarked about Rs 700 crores of SCP TSP for Shakti scheme. How do you identify who is SC and ST under Shakti Yojana?'' ''Rs 5,500 crores is being given for the Gruha Lakshmi scheme, which is for women head of families, how will you find who among them is SC or ST? Almost Rs 11,000 crores diverted from SCP TSP (for guarantee schemes), all of it will not be utilised for the SC/ST community,'' he further added.
Had this money been available, thousands of 'Ganga Kalyana' borewells could have been drilled for Dalits, SC/ST Hostel could have been constructed, thousands of students could be educated, he said, adding that ''You (govt) did injustice to SC/ST people.'' Siddaramaiah on Thursday said that the government will not use SCP-TSP funds for anything else, other than welfare of SC/ST communities.
However, he said, these funds will be used only for SC/ST beneficiaries under guarantee schemes, after taking into account specific numbers of beneficiaries.
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.
