Senior Cong leader Veerappa Moily asks Karnataka govt to release caste census report
Bengaluru (PTI): Senior Congress leader M Veerappa Moily on Tuesday asked the Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to release the report of the caste census conducted in the State.
Moily, a former Union Law Minister, noted the caste census was conducted by the then Karnataka State Backward Classes Commission under the chairmanship of H Kantharaj during the previous tenure of Siddaramaiah as Chief Minister (2013-2018) and it had later submitted the report.
"And the report was available with both during the tenure of (H D) Kumaraswamy, (B S) Yediyurappa and (Basavaraj) Bommai as Chief Minister (between 2018 and 2023). That means they (JDS and BJP) are not for that (releasing the report), it was very clear," Moily told PTI.
"Whenever the Congress government comes (to power), we are very anxious to serve the interests of the backward classes," said the former Karnataka Chief Minister, who was asked if he wants the state government to release the report, similar to what the Nitish Kumar administration did in Bihar on Monday.
Moily recalled that he had released the report of the Chinnappa Reddy Commission in 1992 when he was the Chief Minister even though the report of the panel constituted by the previous Ramakrishna Hegde regime (Janata Party) was ready during the latter's tenure at the helm itself.
"I am asking Siddaramaiah to release the report immediately," he said. "Now that the Congress government has come to power and Siddaramaiah has become CM, he has to release the report."
If there are "problems" regarding "injustice" (to some communities) in the report, Siddaramaiah can take the course of rectification after releasing it, Moily said, adding, the Chief Minister should not cite technical reasons for not making it public.
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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.
