Will continue in politics till I have people's blessings: Siddaramaiah
Haveri (Karnataka) (PTI): Siddaramaiah, who on Wednesday etched his name in history as the longest serving Chief Minster of Karnataka said he has come so far in politics with the blessings of the people and doesn't know how long he will be active.
While asserting that he will remain in politics until he has the blessings of the people, he also expressed satisfaction about his administration.
In his second term as chief minister, the 77-year-old Congress leader surpassed Devaraj Urs' record as the longest serving CM of the state for 2,792 days.
"One has to have the blessings of people to be in politics. With the blessings of the people I have come so far, I don't know how long I will be there (in politics). I have come so far, and will continue in the future too. Will remain in politics until I have the blessings of the people," Siddaramaiah said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said he is satisfied with his administration.
Hitting back at the BJP for claiming that Siddaramaiah's achievements were zero and that he has emptied the state's coffers, he said the opposition party leaders are experts in lying, and they keep doing it.
"Who brought the SCP/TSP (Special Component Plan and Tribal Sub-Plan) act? Did they (BJP) do it? Did they provide reservation in promotions? Who gave Anna Bhagya scheme? How can they say I did not do anything? They should ask people what we have done," he added
Siddaramaiah's unique record as the longest serving CM of the state has come even as the power tussle within the ruling party has intensified amid speculations about a change in chief minister in the state, after the Congress government reached the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20.
The speculation was fueled by the "power-sharing" pact between Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D K Shivakumar in 2023.
Stating that he has not done politics to break any record, Siddaramaiah had on Tuesday expressed confidence about him completing the full five-year term. He had also maintained that the Congress high command will have to decide on it.
Reacting to Siddaramaiah's statement his deputy Shivakumar had wished him "good luck".
Several ministers and Congress leaders considered close to Siddaramaiah have expressed confidence about him completing a full five years term.
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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.
