BJP will lose LS polls, Karnataka election results have raised hopes: Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru, Aug 14: Asserting that the BJP will lose the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday said the Karnataka Assembly election results have raised hopes of people in the country and created a movement among Congress workers at the national level.
He also claimed that the Congress will win at least 20 of the 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka.
The CM was speaking after inaugurating the general body meeting of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee.
''I am speaking from my experience. I say it without any exaggeration. BJP will lose at the Centre in 2024. Prime Minister Modi does not attend Parliament sessions properly, he does not pay attention to the problems of the people. He just does Mann Ki Baat,'' Siddaramaiah said.
ALSO READ: Deputy CM DK Shivakumar hints at changes in cabinet in coming days, also state Congress revamp
He said, the people of the country have rejected BJP's disastrous ideology and politics of under-development, price rise, unemployment, mismanagement and dividing the people on the basis of hatred.
''Our workers should not relax after the Assembly elections. You (workers) have assured the high command that you will win at least 20 seats in the Lok Sabha elections...you will win more seats than this,'' he said.
Further noting that the Congress got 42.8 per cent of the votes in the Assembly polls and it is ''historical,'' Siddaramaiah said the people of Karnataka have taken a very big step towards saving the country.
''BJP's peace will be spoiled if the people of the country are calm and happy, and their jealousy also increases,'' he claimed and said the Congress government in Karnataka has started investigating all the scams and corruption of the BJP era. ''BJP's truth will come out soon.'' Targeting BJP over its policies, which takes money from the pocket of common people and gives it to the rich, the CM said, Congress has designed guarantee schemes in such a way that there is money in people's pockets.
''We have presented a budget that will increase the purchasing power of the people. All the states of the country have come forward to study and adopt this Karnataka model of development,'' he said.
Also targeting JD(S) and its leader - former CM H D Kumaraswamy-, Siddaramaiah said he has forgotten his party. ''He is acting like he is the BJP spokesperson. His is a hit and run case. He just flashes the empty pen drive (claiming it contains evidence of Congress government's corruption) out of the pocket and keeps it back.'' In his address, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar alleged that the BJP, unable to digest Congress government's successful implementation of guarantee schemes, is accusing it of corruption.
''If their allegations are proved, I will retire from politics. I can't be scared like others. I don't fear such things. I will never do any work that will embarrass the party and the government or harm the self-respect of the workers. In the coming days, I will expose the corruption of the BJP government,'' he asserted.
Some contractors, also BJP leaders, have accused Shivakumar, who is also the Bengaluru City Development Minister, of demanding a 10-15 per cent cut to release pending work bills. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) contractors are up in arms, alleging that the government has kept bills pending for the last 26 months and now it is further being delayed in the name of probe. The opposition BJP is using it as a ammunition to attack the government.
However, Shivakumar has maintained that the government has constituted a SIT to look into the authenticity of the bills raised for works taken up in the city, and funds will be released after a probe.
He said, immediately after starting this investigation, the commission allegation has been made against him.
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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.
