Shettar was threatened that if he leaves BJP he will face IT, ED raids: Congress allege
KPCC leader Ramesh Babu said Union Minister Pralhad Joshi threatened Shettar
Bengaluru: A day after former Karnataka Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar joined Congress ahead of the Karnataka polls, Congress claimed Shettar was threatened by Union Minister and senior BJP leader Pralhad Joshi of IT and ED raids.
Ramesh Babu, the Vice President of the media department of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), made the claims at a press conference held on Tuesday.According to Babu, Joshi had threatened Shettar with IT, ED, and CBI action if he were to leave the BJP.
Speaking at the press conference, Babu said, "Two days ago, Prahlad Joshi threatened Jagdish Shettar that if he leaves the BJP, he will have to face IT, ED, and CBI action in the next few days." Babu further alleged that Shettar decided to quit the BJP undeterred by the threats.
“Being a lawyer himself, Shettar was undeterred by the threats and chose to join the Congress party instead, he joined the Congress for his self-respect and political will,” Babu added.
Shettar served as the Chief Minister of Karnataka from 2012 to 2013 and has been a prominent leader in the state's political landscape for several years. His decision to join the Congress party is expected to have a significant impact on the upcoming assembly elections in the state.
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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.
