Karnataka to stop Maharashtra's health insurance scheme in 865 border villages: CM Bommai
Belagavi/Bengaluru, Mar 15: Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Wednesday said his government would take measures to stop the Maharashtra government from offering its health insurance scheme in 865 border villages that the neighbouring state is trying to lay claim to.
He was responding to Congress' criticism over his administration's alleged inaction over Maharashtra's Eknath Shinde government recently announcing an additional Rs 54 crore for implementing the 'Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Arogya Yojana' in the border villages of Karnataka, which the neighbouring state is claiming for itself.
Calling the Maharashtra's government's move an "insult" to Karnataka, state Congress President D K Shivakumar and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Siddaramaiah earlier today demanded Bommai's resignation, accusing him of having "miserably failed" in protecting the interests of the state and Kannadigas.
In response to a question from reporters about Congress' demand for his resignation, Bommai said, "If Maharashtra releases (money) here, why should I resign? We too have released funds for places in Maharashtra like Pandharpur, Tuljapur, where people from Karnataka visit."
Speaking to the reporters here, he said, "I will look into their fund release, we will take measures to stop it.... I need not learn from D K Shivakumar."
Earlier, warning the Maharashtra government, Shivakumar said not even an inch of Karnataka's land would be ceded.
"It is our land, our water, and we will protect it. We are ready to sacrifice our lives to protect our land," he said, as he urged the Karnataka government to take immediate counter measures, stating that it was a mater of the state's self esteem.
Calling on pro-Kannada organisations, artists and literary figures to come together to express their opposition against Maharashtra's move with one voice, Shivakumar also questioned Union Home Minister Amit Shah's silence on the issue.
Meanwhile, speaking to reporters in Hubballi, Siddaramaiah said Maharashtra's move was a threat to India's federal structure.
Hitting out at Bommai for having failed to protect Karnataka's interest, he said he had no right to continue as Chief Minister and should resign immediately.
The decades old border row between the two states had intensified in December last year, with vehicles from either side being targeted, leaders from both the States weighing in, and pro-Kannada and Marathi activists being detained by police amid a tense atmosphere in Belagavi.
Also, both states had passed resolutions against each other in their respective legislatures, putting forward their claim on the border villages.
The border issue dates back to 1957 when States were reorganised on linguistic lines. Maharashtra laid claim to Belagavi, which was part of the erstwhile Bombay Presidency, as it has a sizeable Marathi-speaking population. It also laid claim to over 800 Marathi-speaking villages which are currently a part of Karnataka.
Karnataka maintains that the demarcation done on linguistic lines as per the States Reorganisation Act and the 1967 Mahajan Commission Report is final. And, in an assertion about Belagavi being an integral part of the State, Karnataka built the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha there, modelled on the Vidhana Soudha, the seat of the State Legislature and Secretariat, in Bengaluru.
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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.
