Bommai junks pre-polls surveys giving Congress an edge
Says BJP will come to power with "comfortable majority"
Shiggoan(PTI): Junking pre-poll surveys giving opposition Congress an edge in the May 10 Assembly elections in the state , Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Friday exuded confidence his party BJP will retain power with a "comfortable majority" and without the JD(S)' support.
In an interview to PTI, Bommai said whether he will continue as CM in the event of the saffron party coming to power will be decided by the BJP high command and its Parliamentary Board.
He also said former chief minister Jagadish Shettar, who defected to Congress over denial of a BJP ticket to yet again contest from Hubli-Dharwad Central, will lose this time. Whereas, the 14 defectors who helped the BJP topple the Congress-JD(S) government in 2019 will win from their respective segments.
Bommai also alleged the Congress has taken the election discourse to a "very low level".
"There was no edge to Congress at all. We know how surveys are made. I am expecting a comfortable majority," Bommai said, and added the party may not require the support of the JD(S).
"No chance at all (of taking JD(S) support). We will get an absolute majority," he said.
Asked if the exit of Shettar will impact Lingayat votes, the chief minister said, "Not at all. We will win Shettar's seat." The dominant Lingayats comprise 17 per cent of Karnataka's population.
"Looking into his background and track record, it is neither acceptable to BJP nor to some of the Congress supporters. So, it is totally not at all an organic shift for Shettar," he said.
On the caste-based quota, he said internal reservation under OBCs and other things were a long pending demand and "I have addressed" them.
Earlier, many people were denied the benefit because reservation was not given as per the population. Those sections of people have got hopes now with internal reservation, he said.
"We have recommended the internal reservation; ultimately the Government of India has to take a call," he added.
Ahead of the elections, the state government created two new categories of OBCs to include the Lingayats and Vokkaligas to provide the benefits of reservation.
Dismissing the Congress' 40 per cent commission charge against his government, Bommai challenged, "Let the press or the Opposition or the contractors' association show one case (against our government). I will answer."
He also blamed the Opposition for the saffron party not raising development issues in the election campaign. "It is because of the Opposition. We have done a lot of development in the state. They are going to fail," he added.
Stating that the Congress has taken the election discourse to a very low level, Bommai said BJP legislator Basangounda Patil Yatnal's 'Visha Kanye' remarks, aimed at former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, are "not normal."
But it has been taken to a "very low level by the Congress."
"It started with Congress. The Visha Sarpa (venomous snake) remark was made at none other than (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi by AICC President (Mallikarjun Kharge). That's how the reaction comes. You cannot say and get away," he said.
Asked if he is emerging as a dominant Lingayat leader after B S Yediyurappa, Bommai said, there was a battery of leaders in the party now. "All are leaders, there is nothing called second rung."
The CM is seeking re-election for the fourth consecutive time from the Shiggaon constituency in Haveri district. The Congress has fielded Yasir Ahmed Khan Pathan from the constituency, while Sashidhar Yeligar, who is a Panchamashali Lingayat, is the JD(S) pick.
Asked if he is worried about the triangular fight in his constituency with the JD(S) candidate , Bommai, a Sadar Lingayat said this question has been raised by the press for the last 15 years.
"Everytime, they (people) have voted for me. They have love and affection more than political relations with all the families. So, I am very confident that all sections of the society and all castes will vote for me," he asserted.
On water and drainage issues in the constituency, he said these are the gram panchayat issues. "They are temporary and will be solved later."
Highlighting development works undertaken in Shiggaon, he said about 2,000 km of roads have been constructed. "All my village roads are concrete and village to field roads are tar (bitumen-topped) roads which no other constituencies have," he added.
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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.
