Congress veteran Shamanuru Shivashankarappa meets Bommai, sparks rumors of "adjustment politics"
Bengaluru: A meeting between veteran Congressman Shamanuru Shivashankarappa and former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai at a resort in Bengaluru has sparked rumors and speculation amidst allegations of "adjustment politics" between BJP leaders and the Congress government.
Responding to the rumors on social media, Basavaraj Bommai took to Twitter to clarify the nature of the meeting. He stated, "I hold great respect for Shamanuru Shivashankarappa as he is a veteran politician and also a distant relative. We have met at my house on several occasions. It is inappropriate to interpret our meeting from a political perspective."
Bommai further explained, "While returning to Bengaluru from Shiggaon, I stopped for dinner at a hotel where I coincidentally found Shamanuru Shivashankarappa. We spoke for about 10 minutes regarding marriage alliances for his grandchildren. Our conversation was purely on friendly terms and did not involve any political matters. Social relationships are distinct from political roles, and I will not compromise my political stance."
ALSO READ: Re-examining the Bitcoin scam case, says Home Minister G Parameshwara
Earlier, BJP leader CT Ravi and MP Prathap Simha had made allegations of secret collaboration between BJP members and Congress leaders. MP Prathap Simha claimed, "The BJP intimidates Congress members by citing various cases, such as the Arkavathy scam, denotification case, and the Kempanna Commission Report. In response, the Congress has threatened to investigate cases and allegations against BJP leaders and the government. However, no investigation is ever conducted. This silence on illicit activities naturally raises suspicions of collusion between BJP and Congress leaders in their political activities."
ಶಾಮನೂರು ಶಿವಶಂಕರಪ್ಪ ಅವರು ನಮ್ಮ ಹಿರಿಯರು ಮತ್ತು ದೂರದ ಸಂಬಂಧಿಯೂ ಹೌದು ಹಲವಾರು ಬಾರಿ ನಾವು ಅವರು ನಮ್ಮ ಮನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಭೇಟಿ ಆಗಿದ್ದೇವೆ. ಇದರಲ್ಲಿ ರಾಜಕಾರಣ ಬೆರೆಸುವುದು ಸೂಕ್ತವಲ್ಲ.
— Basavaraj S Bommai (@BSBommai) June 14, 2023
ನಾನು ಶಿಗ್ಗಾಂವಿಯಿಂದ ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿಗೆ ಬರುವಾಗ ರಾತ್ರಿ ಊಟ ಮಾಡಲು ಹೊಟೆಲ್ ಗೆ ಹೋದಾಗ ಅವರು ತಮ್ಮ ಮೊಮ್ಮಕ್ಕಳ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಹೊಸ ಸಂಬಂಧದ ಕುರಿತು ಚರ್ಚೆ ಮಾಡಲು…
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.
