Both Congress, BJP trying to cozy up to me, says JD(S) leader Kumaraswamy
Bengaluru, Mar 30: JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy on Thursday claimed that both the Congress and the BJP were trying to cosy up to his party, as they may need his party's support in the event of a fractured verdict in the May 10 Assembly elections. He indicated that "middlemen" from both national parties had reached out to him.
Addressing a press conference, the former Chief Minister, however, said he was confident that people would bless his party this time to form an independent government in the state, by giving it a clear majority.
"...there is concern among both the parties, middlemen come from both parties. Why they come one has to understand. It is because the JD(S)' strength is increasing day by day with the blessings of the people," Kumaraswamy said in response to a question on whether leaders of national parties were in touch with him. "It is their ongoing plan. There is competition among both the parties to try to get close to JD(S) and earn its confidence."
Speaking to reporters here, he said, "There is no question of me sitting quietly with a plan to win 65-70 seats and waiting for either of the national parties to approach me to form a coalition government. I am working hard on the ground to form a government with a clear majority."
Kumaraswamy's statement gains significance with respect to the scenarios that might emerge in case of a hung verdict in the Assembly polls if no party got a clear majority, as it happened in 2018.
JD(S) had earlier formed governments in coalition with both the BJP and the Congress respectively for 20 months from January 2006 and for 14 months from May 2018, with Kumaraswamy as Chief Minister.
To a question on whether any middlemen had reached out to him on behalf of the national parties, Kumaraswamy said, "Am I saying for the sake of it...The (local) leaders of national parties speak belittling my party's strength here before the media, then they knock at my door."
"Siddaramaiah (Congress leader) says JD(S) has reached an understanding with BJP, while Chief Minister (Basavaraj Bommi) says JD(S) has an understanding with the Congress. If they had not made such a move (to reach out to JDS), would they utter such things? ...they cannot finish off my party this time. Having got trapped for the past 15 years, I have gone before the people now," he added.
JD(S) has set a target of winning at least 123 of the total 224 seats in the polls, and aims to form an independent government this time.
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.
