Karnataka BJP labels Siddaramaiah as 'biggest borrowing CM' amid Rs 93,000 cr loan report
Bengaluru (PTI): The opposition BJP on Wednesday called Siddarmaiah the “biggest borrowing CM”, citing reports that the state is likely to borrow Rs 93,000 crore in the fourth quarter from January to March.
The opposition's sharp critique of Siddaramaiah, who also holds the finance portfolio, comes on the very day he made history as the longest-serving CM of Karnataka.
Accusing the Congress government of “failing Karnataka”, Leader of Opposition in Assembly R Ashoka said Siddaramaiah must realise that history does not honour the hollow record of time spent in office, it will judge the track record of legacy left behind.
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"Siddaramaiah is not the longest serving CM, but the biggest borrowing CM," he said.
“The Difference between a statistic and a legacy is — the title of the longest serving CM is merely a statistic. The title of biggest borrowing CM is a legacy,” Ashoka posted on ‘X’.
He said, “One of these will be forgotten, the other will be permanently remembered in Karnataka’s history books.”
Noting that the latest figure is staggering, Ashoka said, “Rs 93,000 crore borrowed in a single quarter - the biggest Q4 loan haul in India. This cannot be called governance; it is the very definition of panic-driven financial management.”
According to him, this debt surge is driven by a collapsing fiscal structure: borrowing to repay previous loan obligations, borrowing to dangerously fund unsustainable guarantee schemes and borrowing because fundamental economic planning failed, leading to a cash flow collapse.
“When a government is forced to borrow an average of Rs 31,000 crore every month just to stay afloat, it is not a sign of strength, but a clear indicator of fiscal stress,” he added.
The opposition leader further said CM Siddaramaiah must realise that history does not honour the hollow record of time spent in office.
“It will judge the track record of legacy left behind. And what is being left behind today is undeniable: mountain of debt, clear trail of inefficiency, and a mortgaged future, for the state of Karnataka,” he said adding that records fade, legacies remain.
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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.
