Congress dubs BJP charge 'fakery and falsehood', accuses it of denigrating state's 'swabhimaan'
Karnataka sovereignty row
New Delhi, May 8: Amid a controversy over Sonia Gandhi's Karnataka sovereignty remark, the Congress on Monday dubbed the BJP's charge "fakery and falsehood" and accused the ruling party of denigrating the state's "swabhimaan".
On the last day of campaign for the May 10 assembly elections in Karnataka, Congress general secretary in-charge of the state Randeep Surjewala said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should answer on corruption charges against his party's government and added excuses cannot be the refuge of BJP in this election.
"The desperation of Prime Minister Modi and the BJP is glaring as they seek to clutch at straws for want of a narrative in Karnataka. We reject the fakery and falsehood being perpetuated by PM as he refuses to answer a single question on why BJP is denigrating the 'swabhimaan' of Karnataka," the Congress leader said in a statement.
He said the prime minister should answer why the BJP-Shiv Sena government of Maharashtra has extended its schemes to 865 villages in Karnataka.
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"Is this not naked breach of federalism? Why are Kannadiga youths not being permitted to take CRPF exam in Kannada by the Modi government? Why was the tableau of Narayan Guru not permitted by the Modi government in the Republic Day parade?" he asked.
The Congress leader said, "The PM should answer on the '40 per cent commission BJP Sarkara'. Excuses cannot be the refuge of BJP in this election."
The Congress has accused the BJP dispensation in Karnataka of engaging in rampant corruption and "taking 40 per cent commission in all kinds of work done by the government".
The BJP on Monday moved the Election Commission seeking action against Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and derecognition of her party for her use of the term "sovereignty" for Karnataka during the state poll campaign. The party also demanded an FIR against her.
In a blistering attack on the Congress, Prime Minister Modi on Sunday accused the party of openly advocating for "separating" Karnataka from India.
The prime minister's charge came a day after former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi addressed a campaign rally in Hubballi.
The Congress referring to her speech in a tweet said Gandhi, who is the Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson, "sends a strong message to 6.5 crore Kannadigas". It also posted pictures of Gandhi speaking at the public meeting.
"The Congress will not allow anyone to pose a threat to Karnataka's reputation, sovereignty or integrity," the tweet read.
Polling to elect 224 members of the Karnataka assembly will be held on May 10 and the counting of votes will take place on May 13. The campaigning came to an end on Monday.
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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.
