Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar says he will stand by Siddaramaiah like a "rock"
Hassan (Karnataka), Dec 5: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Thursday said he will stand by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah like a "rock", until death.
He said this at the ‘Jana Kalyana Samavesha’, a convention jointly organised by the state Congress and Swabhimanigala Okkuta (federation organisations of oppressed communities).
"Don't worry, in Mysuru I have said that this bande (rock) -- D K Shivakumar -- will be with Siddaramaiah. This Shivakumar will be with him, now, tomorrow, and until death. Keep this in mind. This is the history of this Kanakapura bande," Shivakumar, who is often referred to as "Kanakapura bande" by local media and supporters, said.
Shivakumar represents Kanakapura assembly segment.
ALSO READ: No agreement with DK Shivakumar on power-sharing, will abide by high command decision: Siddaramaiah
Addressing the convention, he said, "It is my duty and Dharma to work honestly, wherever I work."
"....no need to worry. We are working for the poor honestly...unitedly all our Ministers in the cabinet and legislators will work under his (CM) leadership to serve the state and its people...."
The convention was initially planned by the federation of organisations of oppressed communities as a Siddaramaiah-centric mega "show of strength" event, in solidarity with the Chief Minister, who is facing allegations in the MUDA site allotment scam.
However, the Congress party's involvement as the joint host of the event was confirmed by the Chief Minister himself last week, amid reports that a section of leaders within the party were against such an event being organised outside the party framework. An anonymous "complaint letter" purportedly written by a Congress leader to AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge had also surfaced.
The state Congress led by its President Shivakumar had also renamed the convention as ‘Jana Kalyana Samavesha’ from 'Siddaramaiah Swabhimaani Janandolana Samavesha'.
Interestingly, Shivakumar's statement came a day after Siddaramaiah rejected his claim that they have a power-sharing pact.
Shivakumar had reportedly told media recently that there was an agreement between them, before coming to power.
In response, Siddaramaiah had on Wednesday said there was no such pact, and that he would abide by the high command's decision.
There was stiff competition between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar for the chief minister's post after the declaration of Assembly election results in May last year, and the Congress had managed to convince the latter and made him the deputy chief minister.
There were some reports at the time that a compromise had been reached based on a "rotational chief minister formula," according to which Shivakumar will become CM after two-and-half years, but they have not been officially confirmed by the party.
Shivakumar has made no secret of his ambition to become CM.
Addressing the convention, Shivakumar claimed that the Congress' five guarantee schemes are "permanent", and it was certain that the party would come to power in 2028. "No one can change this."
He also expressed confidence about Congress winning all seven assembly segments in the Hassan district in the next polls. The party currently represents only one seat in the district. "We need your cooperation for it."
Pointing to BJP and JD(S)' defeat in recent by-polls to Shiggaon, Sandur and Channapatna Assembly segments, the Deputy CM said, JD(S) patriarch H D Deve Gowda and his son and Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy during campaigning had claimed that they will "root out" the Congress government.
"Mr Deve Gowda, this isn't a potato crop grown in Hassan or a groundnut plant to root out. This is a government which has the support of 138 MLAs, it has public support...." he said.
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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.
