"I don't aspire to be CM", says Union Minister Pralhad Joshi in poll-bound Karnataka
Bengaluru (PTI): The four-time Lok Sabha member from Dharwad defended the BJP's ticket distribution strategy for the May 10 Assembly elections in the State, which sparked some rebellion by those who missed the bus, saying it was aimed at generational shift.
On whether he aspires to be CM, Joshi said: "No. Absolutely no".
"I feel I am fortunate to work directly under Modi, I have never seen in my life such a personality", the Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Coal and Minies, told PTI in an interview here.
Joshi said Modi's tenure as Prime Minister would figure in golden letters when the history of India is written in future. As Parliamentary Affairs Minister he got lots of opportunities, he said, highlighting the period when Article 370 of the Constitution was abrogated.
"So long as I have the blessings of God, people and the Prime Minister, I wish to remain there (at the central level under Modi)", he said.
Joshi said the BJP is not facing much anti-incumbency in poll-bound Karnataka.
"Wherever it (anti-incumbency) is there, in the majority of cases, it's against the individuals who are MLAs or Ministers. That we have addressed in a different way already, and as a party as a whole, there is no anti-incumbency or there is very less anti-incumbency. We have already addressed (anti-incumbency) which you have seen while changing many candidates and other things", the Minister said..
Joshi did not agree with the perception in some quarters that the BJP could have handled the ticket distribution exercise better.
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"What will happen when you want to bring the change...when you want to bring the new faces, when you want to make the change of generation, then some people accept it , one or two people have not accepted it, and have left the party. I am quite confident that it will not have any impact.and BJP will win and form its own government for the first time", he said.
Former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar and former Deputy Chief Minister Laxman Savadi quit the BJP after being denied ticket to contest and joined the Congress recently.
Joshi dismissed suggestions that the BJP is putting all its might to defeat Shettar and Savadi, who are now on the field as Congress candidates and it has become a matter of prestige for the party.
He said the party is organisationally very strong in the region and is working towards the victory of its candidates who are fighting against Shettar and Savadi.
"All 224 seats are prestigious, unless you take each seat very seriously, you cannot come to power. Every single seat matters", Joshi said.
Asked if the BJP is going to make a member of the Lingayat community Chief Minister in the event of the party returning to power, he said: "Our Chief Minister is already a Lingayat leader, natural leader. He is our natural leader, he is our Chief Minister. Wherever there is a Chief Minister, we do not announce the next Chief Minister candidate which is very natural".
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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.
