JD(S) to fight Lok Sabha polls independently, says Deve Gowda but keeps options open
Bengaluru (PTI): The Janata Dal (Secular) would fight the Lok Sabha elections independently, the party supremo and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, said on Tuesday but appeared to keep the options open amid the recent bonhomie between the party and the BJP.
The party would decide on its action in future based on the prevailing situation, he said.
Deve Gowda also said he was not invited to the meeting of opposition parties here earlier this month as a section of the Congress in Karnataka was opposed to such a move even though Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar wanted him to be there.
Gowda's son and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said last week his party would work together with the BJP against the Congress government in Karnataka on various issues, fueling speculation of the two parties joining hands for next year's polls.
Both the JD (S) and the BJP MLAs had boycotted the Assembly session after ten BJP legislators were suspended from the House for "indecent and disrespectful conduct" in the House.
"JD(S) will fight the Lok Sabha elections independently", Deve Gowda told a news conference here.
"Whether we (the party) win five, six, three, two or one seats, we will fight the Lok Sabha elections independently", he said. "We will field candidates only in those places where we are strong after consulting with our workers".
Gowda, however, said the party will decide its future course of action based on the prevailing situation.
In this context, he recalled how his party had given support to the Congress-led government led by the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
The JD (S) and the Congress had fought the 2019 Lok Sabha elections together. The BJP had won 25 out of 28 seats in Karnataka then.
The JD (S) and the Congress had secured one seat each, while an independent backed by the BJP had also won.
Deve Gowda, who had contested from Tumakuru Lok Sabha segment, had also lost.
To a question on why he was not invited by the opposition parties for its meeting in Bengaluru on July 17, Gowda said a section of Congress leaders from Karnataka had opposed his presence.
"A section of Congress here (in Karnataka) had threatened that they will not attend the event if Deve Gowda is invited. Hence, I was not called," he said.
Deve Gowda said Nitish Kumar wanted to invite him but some local Congress leaders were not in favour.
The JD(S) put up a poor show in the elections to the 224-member Karnataka Assembly in May, bagging only 19 seats.
"The party has existed till today since 1983 and will continue to exist. Those who think that the party will end are living under illusion. It is not possible," Gowda said.
According to Gowda, the 19 MLAs, seven MLCs and top leaders had a meeting last week and chalked out programmes for campaigning in the districts, which will be finalised after Kumaraswamy returns from abroad.
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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.
