No question of my wife contesting K'taka Assembly polls, asserts JD(S) leader Kumaraswamy
Bengaluru (PTI) JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy on Tuesday said, "Hassan politics is different, my wife's politics is different," as he rejected media reports about his wife and party MLA Anitha Kumaraswamy's "demand" to contest May 10 Karnataka Assembly polls.
Anitha had earlier contested elections to save the party, when it did not have a candidate in certain prime constituencies, he said, adding that she has no interest in electoral politics and has decided to stay away from it.
The former Chief Minister was reacting to media reports that Anitha would press for the Tumkur Rural ticket, if his sister-in-law Bhavani Revanna manages to get the Hassan ticket.
"There is no other confusion among us, there is no confusion even on the Hassan issue. One more thing I saw in a paper and also on a TV is that they have brought in the name of Anitha Kumaraswamy," Kumaraswamy said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, "Please, I'm saying this with folded hands. The reason for me to make Anitha Kumaraswamy to contest in three elections is because there were no party candidates in those seats. To save the pride of the party I got her into politics and made her contest."
The media reports seems to have upset Kumaraswamy, amid differences within the family regarding Hassan seat, that has become a bone of contention, as Bhavani, who has thrown her hat in the ring, has not relented, despite Kumaraswamy, repeatedly making it clear that she will not be fielded, and instead a "loyal party worker" will enter the fray.
Bhavani Revanna, a former Hassan zilla panchayat member is the wife of Kumaraswamy's elder brother and former Minister H D Revanna and daughter-in-law of former Prime Minister and party patriarch H D Deve Gowda. She has the backing of her husband and sons- Prajwal and Suraj Revanna, who are Member of Lok Sabha from Hassan and a MLC respectively.
Asserting that Anitha Kumaraswamy has never made any attempts to harm or destroy the family image and name, Kumaraswamy said, she has no interest in contesting polls anymore and she is away from electoral politics.
"I had misused her (in politics) when there was no party candidate to save the party's pride....she has no ambition to achieve something in politics. She has stayed away from electoral politics in favour of son," he said.
There is no competition to contest election or fight among Gowda's daughter-in-laws as being reported in the media. "Hassan politics is different, my wife's politics is different. My wife came to politics to save this party. Don't join her in that category...don't bring my wife's name, there is no question of her contesting, she won't come," Kumaraswamy said.
With signs of the Hassan ticket issue creating a rift within the family, Gowda, who has not been actively involved in political activities for some time now due to age related ailment, on Sunday held discussions with his two sons and Bhavani together, which seems to have failed to break the deadlock.
Both Kumaraswamy and Revanna have maintained that Gowda's word will be final on the Hassan ticket issue.
Anitha currently represents Ramnagara Assembly segment from where her son Nikhil Kumaraswamy is the candidate for the upcoming polls.
Rejecting reports about his mother seeking to contest polls, Nikhil said, "there is no such question. My mother has decided to stay away from electoral politics... I'm too ready to step back from contesting elections if required and work for the party if necessary."
Nikhil, an actor turned politician, is JD(S) youth wing chief and had unsuccessfully contested the 2019 Lok Sabha from Mandya.
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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.
