Tharoor defends Karnataka govt’s stand on Bengaluru demolition drive
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Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Friday defended the Karnataka government’s demolition drive in Bengaluru, saying that legal procedures were followed and alternative arrangements had been promised to the affected residents.
Speaking to reporters here, Tharoor said the land on which the houses were built belonged to the government.
“First, the land belonged to the government, and people were living there illegally. Second, it was a garbage dump and toxic waste had contaminated the water, so it was not a fit place for people to live,” he said.
Tharoor said notices had been issued to the residents before the demolition.
He said he did not see justice in politically projecting the issue only on the basis that the affected people were poor.
“The government has taken a decision to provide temporary accommodation and has promised permanent housing within five to six months,” he said.
According to Tharoor, since a solution has been found, there is no need to unnecessarily provoke the issue.
“There may be flaws in the shifting process and there can be differences of opinion on how it was done. But a promise has been given to find a solution,” he said.
Referring to court directions against so-called ‘bulldozer’ evictions, Tharoor said all actions must be carried out legally.
“The Karnataka government has done this, adhering to court directions. Notices were given, and in some cases they were issued multiple times before the demolition,” he said.
He added that he had not visited Karnataka and therefore had no right to give a definitive opinion, but said the matter should be understood by keeping all these facts in mind.
On the BJP’s victory in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, which falls under his parliamentary constituency, Tharoor said he would raise certain related issues within the party.
He acknowledged that the BJP had worked for the victory and recalled that the party had gained an upper hand in Thiruvananthapuram city during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as well.
“I had pointed this out then itself as a warning signal. There may have been shortcomings in taking our message to the voters, and we could not bring about any major changes in the last one-and-a-half years, which resulted in people continuing to vote for the BJP,” he said.
Tharoor said that after 45 years of LDF rule, people were desperate for a change and he had wanted leadership under former MLA K S Sabarinathan to come to power.
“But people chose another party. The desire for change must be taken into account,” he said.
He also said voter turnout in the local body elections was higher compared to previous polls as people were dissatisfied with the functioning of the corporation.
Responding to CPI state secretary Binoy Viswam’s remark that he was “half BJP”, Tharoor said he had heard such allegations many times before.
“People do not have the patience to read what I write or post on social media. They form opinions just by seeing headlines. If they read what I actually write, they will realise such criticisms are baseless,” he said.
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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.
