Team effort led to Cong victory in K'taka, will implement '5 guarantees' come what may: Shivakumar
Bengaluru, May 31: Crediting the "team effort" of Congress leaders and workers for the party's victory in Karnataka, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said the government is fully committed to fulfil the five guarantees and will implement the 'Gruha Lakshmi' scheme within a month to grant Rs 2,000 to every woman head of a family.
He termed the fight put up by the Congress as a "battle for survival" and said for him personally it was a "do-or-die battle".
In an exclusive interview to 'The Week', he also said, "Of course, it is quite natural. Blood is thicker than water. But we have to (compromise). Sometimes politics is full of sharing and caring," when asked whether the Vokkaliga community was upset when he was not made the chief minister.
On the Congress' poll promises, he said, "We are going to implement it (the guarantees), come what may. We have a cabinet meeting on June 1. Arranging about Rs 20,000 crore to Rs 26,000 crore will not be a problem. We will work on arranging the remaining Rs 30,000 crore."
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"Whatever we have promised, we will definitely deliver. We will come out with a plan within the first week of June. We are already speaking to the officials to work out a system," he also said on the implementation of the 'Gruha Lakshmi' scheme.
Shivakumar said the family has to decide to whom the money should go through direct benefit transfer - wife or mother, and should provide details of their bank accounts for which officers have to be delegated to visit every house.
Asked how long will it take to implement the scheme, he said, "We will implement it in a month. We will announce it and whatever delay, we will come out with a (solution)."
He said some people have written to the government that they do not wish to receive the money, but will not bar anyone from taking it. "We do not want to bar anyone. We promised them. If they want, let them take it."
The Karnataka Congress chief said the "karyakartas" (party cadres) are the party's roots and we should see that we strengthen them. "The voice of the cadre should be the voice of the leadership. This is what I look for. And, I have had 50 per cent success; 50 per cent is yet to be done. I will try to do my best."
He said the primary reason for the BJP's defeat was that it could not deliver what it had promised. He said the stalwarts from the state who have ruled in the previous years had built Karnataka's brand name and that was being dismantled by the BJP.
On him taking on the BJP despite cases against him, he said, "It is not only me; it is a team effort. No doubt I stood strongly. And I was ready to face everything. There was no choice. I had to fight this battle for survival. I knew that Karnataka would be the opening for the entire country. It was a do-or-die battle for me. Ultimately, I could do it (deliver Karnataka)."
Shivakumar said Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra helped bring in enthusiasm in the party and people walked with him.
Asked whether he was happy with his current position, he said, "Whether I am happy or not is not important. I will be happy when we deliver a government with good governance, when we keep our promises, when we fulfil the aspirations of the people. Individual things will disappear. The confidence that the people of Karnataka have restored in us is very, very important. We should keep (it). I will be the happiest when all my promises have been delivered."
Shivakumar said he would not want to disclose what has been decided between the party high command and him and between Siddaramaiah and him on sharing of power.
"I will not disclose it. Ultimately, we have come to some understanding."
On Siddaramaiah becoming the chief minister within eight years of joining the Congress, he said, "he is definitely a lucky man".
Asked whether the Congress will ban the Bajrang Dal, he said if anyone tries to disturb the peace through moral policing, they cannot as there is the law of the land.
"There is the Constitution here. We have to protect the Constitution. Is it right for a police officer to wear saffron and take a photograph? The image of a police officer in Karnataka is high. But this time I think even the (former) chief minister encouraged it. We asked who was destroying peace."
He also skirted a question on whether beef will come back to Karnataka, saying he does not want to get into that controversy. "Let me focus on development, our promises."
On his vision for Karnataka in the next five years, the Karnataka Congress strongman said, "My vision is to bring back the glory that Karnataka had; to give a corruption-free, transparent government, a government with good governance. This is our vision. Bengaluru is a top priority. If Bengaluru gets proper attention, funds will come, and the same funds can be transferred to the rural areas. This is what we are looking at."
He also assured that the Congress government will investigate the previous government's corruption and said, "We have already assured the people that we will investigate."
Asked whether the BJP will attempt Operation Lotus again, he said, "Let them recover from this defeat first. The entire double engine was here. What all they could do, they have done. Ultimately, my numbers never reduced, my confidence level never reduced. Our planning did not change."
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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.
