Activists involved in Dharmasthala row are from RSS-BJP, alleges Minister Priyank Kharge
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge on Tuesday alleged that the two activists Girish Mattannavar and Mahesh Shetty Thimarody were associated with the RSS and BJP.
The two people are accused of being the brains behind the Dharmasthala row involving large-scale excavation following complaints of the burial of many young women and girl students, sources said.
Two separate cases have been registered against Mattannavar and Thimarody for allegedly creating and circulating videos on social media, that disturbed communal harmony and offended public sentiments, police said on Tuesday.
Kharge, who holds the Information Technology and Biotechnology Minister portfolio, told reporters that Thimarody is from RSS.
"Against whom did they (BJP) speak inside the Karnataka Assembly? Wasn’t that Mahesh Shetty Thimarody? This person is from RSS. The RSS is BJP’s Guru. These people grew up in RSS, VHP and Bajrang Dal," Kharge said.
Regarding Mattennavar, the Minister said, "He is Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (district) president. He was the BJP’s official candidate from Gurmitkal assembly segment in Yadgir district. He was issued BJP B-Form. Today, they (Thimarody and Mattennavar) are speaking against them (Dharmasthala). So whose conspiracy is this?"
According to Kharge, who is Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s son, the Dharmasthala row is an outcome of factional feud in the RSS.
"This is RSS versus RSS/ Now they are trying to tarnish the government. BJP is clueless which RSS faction it should approach. There are two factions in the RSS. They (BJP) don’t know whose feet they should hold to save their position," Kharge alleged.
He charged that the BJP is organising campaigns like ‘Chamundeshwari Chalo’ and ‘Dharmasthala Chalo’ to save their position.
Asking the BJP leaders not to limit themselves to ‘Chamundeshwari Chalo’ and ‘Dharmasthala Chalo’, Kharge advised them to take up ‘Delhi Chalo’ once in a while to raise their voice in favour of Kannadigas against the injustice meted out by the Centre to Karnataka.
He charged that the BJP was doing these marches only for the sake of saving their political existence.
"This is all their (BJP) theatrics. They just jump in to grab an opportunity wherever they find a chance to get political mileage," the Minister said.
He underlined that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) is doing whatever is necessary scientifically.
Regarding the ‘Chamundeshwari Chalo’ programme, which BJP is learnt to be organising, the Minister sought to know what was wrong if Booker Prize winner Banu Mushtaq inaugurates Dasara celebrations.
He stated that noted Kannada litterateur Nisar Ahmed had also inaugurated it.
Kharge charged that it was the BJP which invited former President late A P J Abdul Kalam but he could not come.
He wondered whether the BJP had invited Kalam for being a Muslim or because of his abilities and contributions to the nation, society and state.
The Minister alleged that the BJP is organising these marches "to save their political future and to please their RSS bosses".
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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.
