After LS poll, north K'taka to be separate State; PM mulling over it, says Minister Umesh Katti
Belagavi, Jun 23: A Karnataka Minister has said there will be 50 States in the country after the 2024 general Lok Sabha election and north Karnataka will be one among the new ones.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has decided to form 50 States in the country after the 2024 elections. I came to know that he is mulling over it, Umesh Katti, who holds the food, civil supplies and consumer affairs, told reporters here.
He said the idea of splitting the State is good because the burden of population has increased over the years.
Such thought is good because population is increasing, and that region (north Karnataka) should also see development. North Karnataka should become a State and develop. We will remain as Kannadigas but there is no harm if the State (Karnataka) is divided, Katti said on the sidelines of an event.
Stating that the idea of forming 50 States was good given the increase in population, Katti said it has increased from two crore to 6.5 crore in the last 60 years.
Two States should be carved out of Karnataka, four in Uttar Pradesh, three in Maharashtra, and so on, the Minister said.
Reacting to Katti's statement, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said there was no proposal at the government level for separate Statehood to north Karnataka.
"This is not the first time Umesh Katti has spoken about it. He has been saying it for many years. He himself should reply to this question," the Chief Minister told reporters in New Delhi.
Karnataka Revenue Minister R Ashoka said Katti's statement is not an issue at all.
Katti has been saying this. This is not the first time that he has spoken about separate statehood to north Karnataka. He has said it more than 100 times till now. Karnataka is one. Many Kannadigas have struggled to form a united Karnataka, Ashoka said in Bengaluru.
He added that Bommai would discuss with Katti on this issue.
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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.
