Not proper to clear bills of contractors when investigations are on: CM Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday said his government has ordered an investigation into the alleged scams that have taken place during the previous BJP government and it is not proper to release payments of the civil contractors' pending bills till the probe is completed.
The chief minister noted that the state government has ordered a judicial inquiry led by retired high court judge Justice B Veerappa.
"Before the Assembly elections we had promised to investigate the corruption scandals of the BJP government if the Congress party came to power," Siddaramaiah said in a series of posts on "X" (formerly Twitter).
He added that the voters of the state believed in the Congress party and voted against BJP's "corruption, commission abuse, tax looting" and helped his party win 135 out of 224 seats in the assembly and allowed it to form a "safe and stable" government.
Now it is the duty of the government to keep the promise made to the people, Siddaramaiah said, adding, "We have ordered a judicial investigation led by retired judge Justice B Veerappa into the 40 per cent commission scam of the BJP government."
The chief minister alleged that during the BJP government, the bills of civil contracts were paid for the old works without carrying out the work itself and in some other places half the work was done.
"The judicial committee headed by retired Justice B Veerappa is investigating all these scams and it is not reasonable to release the outstanding bill money before the investigation report is complete. Our government will not allow injustice to any contractor who has done the work fairly.
Contractors need not fear this. But shouldn't those who did corruption pay for it?" he said.
He also took a swipe at former minister R Ashoka who on Thursday alleged that the Congress government was collecting 15 per cent commission for releasing payments to contractors
"The charge of 15 per cent commission leveled by former minister R Ashok against our government is far from the truth but it is good that he has reduced the commission rate from 40 per cent to 15 per cent. This statement of Ashoka shows that in his mind the Congress government is better than the BJP government," the chief minister said.
"Accepting the allegations against us as a challenge, we will win this ordeal and prove to the people of the state that we are not only good, but also the best, transparent and pro-people government," Siddaramaiah added.
Regarding the allegations of the contractors that release of payments to their bills were held back allegedly due to non-payment of 15 per cent commission on public works, Siddaramaiah said that already the Karnataka State Small and Medium Contractors and BBMP Contractors Association has discussed the issue of pending bills with him.
He said instructions have been given to release the Programme Of Works (POW) related bill. This money will be released as soon as certain normal processes related to release of works bills are completed.
In the meantime, the Karnataka State Small and Medium Contractors and BBMP Contractors Association has clarified to the media that only a few contractors are accusing the state government for their "selfish and malicious" purposes, Siddaramaiah claimed.
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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.
