Cong veteran Kagodu Thimmappa says his daughter stabbed him in chest by joining BJP
Shivamogga, Apr 12: Veteran Congress leader Kagodu Thimmappa on Wednesday said his daughter Dr Ranjani Rajanandini had stabbed him in his chest by joining the BJP.
Rajanandini, who was aspiring for a Congress ticket from Sagara constituency in Shivamogga district for the May 10 assembly election, resigned from the party and joined the BJP in the presence of party stalwart B S Yediyurappa.
“Rajanandini joining the BJP is like stabbing me in the chest. She should not have done this. I had never dreamt that my daughter will ever behave like this. This is unfortunate, which should not have happened,” Thimmappa, a former minister told reporters, adding that he grew up in politics with commitment and stability.
Thimmappa, a former speaker of the Karnataka Assembly said he would remain in the Congress and work for the party. “Come what may, I will not quit Congress. I will always stand by Congress and will work for the party in this election as well,” the veteran leader said.
He suspected that there was some conspiracy behind his daughter’s decision.
Sources in the Congress said Thimmappa had been trying hard to get a ticket for his daughter from Sagara, which he represented five times. However, the party denied her a ticket.
Yediyurappa who inducted her into BJP said the party had gained strength in and around Shivamogga. Stating that Rajanandini would help BJP candidates win in Sorab and Sagara constituencies, the BJP leader said the party would give her an appropriate position once it came to power.
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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.
