Siddaramaiah credits people, Cong high command for becoming Karnataka’s longest-serving CM
Vijayapura (Karnataka) (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday said he is the longest-serving CM of the state, attributing the achievement to the blessings of the people and the Congress high command.
In his second term, the 77-year-old Siddaramaiah on January 7 surpassed the record set by Devaraj Urs, becoming the longest-serving CM of Karnataka with 2,792 days in office.
"Ministers M B Patil, Shivananda Patil, and all the legislators from the district have felicitated me as I have surpassed the late Devaraj Urs’ record. He was CM for about seven years and 239 days. I equalled it on January 6, and as of today, January 9, I have been CM for three days more than him," Siddaramaiah said.
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Addressing the gathering, he added, "This has been possible because of the blessings of all of you and the Congress high command—Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge. Because of their support, I have been able to serve as CM twice and also become the longest-serving CM. I thank the people of the state for this."
On the occasion, Siddaramaiah inaugurated new developmental projects worth Rs 82 crore and laid foundation stones for the projects totalling over Rs 730 crore, all for Vijayapura district.
He also inaugurated a cycling velodrome, reportedly the first of its kind in South India. "Vijayapura and Bagalkote districts have produced several cyclists for the state and the country," he said.
Highlighting the long-standing demand for a medical college in Vijayapura, Siddaramaiah announced that a government medical college will be established in the district in the near future.
He further said that Karnataka currently has 71 medical colleges, of which 22 are government-run.
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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.
