HM Parameshwara congratulates CM Siddaramaiah on matching Devaraj Urs’ tenure record
Bengaluru: Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara on Thursday congratulated Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for completing 2,792 days in office, equalling the tenure of former chief minister D. Devaraj Urs.
Speaking to reporters at the Home Office in Sadashivanagar, Parameshwara said the achievement was possible because of the opportunity given by the Congress leadership. He also congratulated Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, K. C. Venugopal and Randeep Singh Surjewala.
Parameshwara said such long tenures were possible only in the Congress party. He noted that similar opportunities were earlier given to Devaraj Urs and are now being given to Siddaramaiah. He said the party’s ideology and long-term commitment to the poor and development had made this possible.
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On the Ballari incident, the Home Minister said political leaders should speak responsibly after verifying facts, as statements can have wider social consequences. He said doctors had clearly stated that the deceased had not undergone a post-mortem examination twice. Parameshwara said he trusted the doctors’ clarification and questioned claims suggesting otherwise.
Responding to remarks by Union Minister H. D. Kumaraswamy, Parameshwara said he was serving his third term as Home Minister and had 38 years of political experience. He said he understood when and how decisions should be taken to maintain law and order in the state, and that he had taken firm decisions whenever required.
He added that Kumaraswamy, as a Union Minister, had access to information from across the country, but a single incident should not be used to judge the entire system. Parameshwara said the police take decisions at their level to maintain law and order, and the government issues directions when necessary in such situations.
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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.
