Jagadish Shettar still has photos of Modi & Shah in office, says won't remove them
Hubbali (PTI): Former Karnataka Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar -- contesting on a Congress ticket hoping to reclaim his lost self-respect-- still has photos of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah hanging on a wall in his home-office and says it is not good to remove them.
The photos adorn the wall although he is hurt the BJP chose not to pick him for the May 10 assembly elections.
Having represented Hubli-Dharwad Central since 1994 on a BJP ticket, Shettar, however claimed the saffron party had no "address" earlier there and that he built it since then, making it a "Shettar vs Congress" battle ever since.
After severing his decades-old ties with the saffron party, Shettar now in his last leg of political career puts a Congress flag on his car and sets out for campaigning along with the party workers.
Trying to put the past aside, Shettar is meeting supporters and party workers at his home-office sitting in his regular sofa with two photos of Modi and Shah still hung on the wall behind.
In an interview to PTI while being seated on the same chair, Shettar asked, "what is so surprising about it," when queried why he has not removed the photos after exiting BJP.
He said: "Immediately after shifting from one party to another, removing photos of earlier leaders is not a good thing. I cannot do that."
In the past, Shettar and his wife have said several times they have respect for Modi and Shah.
Stating this would be his last assembly election, the six-time MLA said, "this election is a fight for my self-respect, not for political aspirations. As my self-respect was damaged, I joined the Congress for my own peace without putting conditions," he added.
BJP should have given an honourable exit for him by fielding him from here for the last time. "It did not happen due to General Secretary (Organisation) B L Santhosh who pushed for a ticket for his close associate and did all this drama," he claimed.
Shettar further said the poll ticket was denied also because there was apprehension he may claim number one position among Lingayats after former chief minister B S Yediyurappa.
Asked if he was facing difficulty in convincing voters as a Congress candidate now, he admitted facing some "embarrassment" in the beginning. Gradually, voters are realising when told he was denied a BJP ticket without any reason.
"Nobody knows why I was denied a ticket despite having popularity, age, no criminal background and no corruption/CDs. Whereas the BJP has given tickets to 75 year-old people, family members and those who have criminal background," he said.
Shettar mentioned he was receiving a positive public response so far and added, "I have still maintained popularity because of pro-development works. There is no anti-incumbency. I am confident of winning with a thumping majority this time."
He said there is a "miscommunication" that he won in the last six consecutive elections with support of BJP workers and Marathas.
Shettar shared that he first contested on a BJP ticket in 1994 and before that he nurtured the saffron party for three years. Then he became president of a party unit and later the state chief.
Asserting the BJP did not have an "address" here, he said prior to 1994, the saffron party did not have any existence in the region and that its candidates had lost their deposits. "I built the party and it has always been -- Shettar versus Congress."
The former chief minister also said he was not "power hungry" and if he was then he would have become a minister in the Basavaraj Bommai-led cabinet.
"Bommai is junior to me in politics. Immediately after his swearing-in as CM, I did not join the cabinet. I have been working as an MLA for the last two years."
On JD(S) leader C M Ibrahim's demand to probe Shettar's properties in and around Hubbali, he said, "I have not constructed any bungalow in Bengaluru."
"Here also, I have limited property within the legal purview. I am not a political leader worth Rs 1,000 crore. I don't have crores of transactions. These are all vague allegations."
Asked if his exit has affected son's political prospects in the BJP, Shettar said, "I always believe: one family, one power is sufficient..I am not going to insist that my children become my successor. If they have leadership and interest, they can grow."
With a week left for voting, the Congress leader said his family has taken this election as a personal challenge.
"More than me, my wife is working hard in this election. She is campaigning for me door-to-door," he added.
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.
