Karnataka CM holds meeting with Congress MLAs for third straight day
Bengaluru, Aug 9: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday held discussion with in-charge Ministers and legislators from various districts for the third consecutive day, and assured them of addressing their concerns and releasing funds for development works in the coming days.
He held a meeting with them regarding development of respective constituencies, grants, and preparation for Lok Sabha elections, according to official sources.
These meetings are significance amid reports of discontent brewing within the ruling party regarding development work in constituencies and the functioning of the government and its ministers.
Today's interaction with MLAs from eight districts -- Ramanagara, Mandya, Hassan, Kodagu, Davangere, Bengaluru Rural, Chamarajanagara and Chikkaballapura -- separately, was the third consecutive day of such meetings chaired by the Chief Minister.
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Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar was also present at the meetings.
On Monday, he had met MLAs from Tumakuru, Yadgir, Chitradurga, Bagalkot, Ballari and Dharwad districts. While on Tuesday he met legislators from Raichur, Vijayapura, Koppal, Belagavi, Haveri and Kalaburagi districts.
According to official and party sources, the MLAs discussed with Siddaramaiah regarding delay in completion of ongoing projects, allocation of funds to their constituencies, and about fulfillment of promises made to the people locally ahead of polls, other than five guarantee schemes.
The Chief Minister is said to have explained to MLAs about implementation of five 'guarantee schemes' (poll promises) and the financial implications it will have on taking up major developmental projects this year.
However, he has assured that works which need to be taken on priority, will be taken up, and maintained that release of funds for developmental works, will be done in a phased manner.
Siddaramaiah is also learnt to have asked MLAs to approach him if there are any issues and not to air grievances in public, and sought their cooperation.
The meeting gains significance amid brewing discontent within the ruling party, with as many as 30 legislators reportedly having written to Siddaramaiah and the party leadership recently, expressing concern over non-implementation of development works in their constituencies and functioning of certain ministers.
Several legislators are said to be miffed and have complained that they had not been able to get work done in their constituencies, and have not been granted transfers (of government servants) as requested. They are said to have expressed unhappiness in the letter regarding some ministers, alleging that they were not cooperating with them.
The Congress Legislature Party meeting held subsequently, last month, also witnessed scenes of discontent, with senior MLA B R Patil threatening to resign, citing "self-respect".
The behaviour and conduct of certain ministers has upset some legislators, Patil had said, as he warned that their fight would continue, if it is not corrected.
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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.
