BJP has faith in dictatorship, not in Constitution, alleges CM Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru, Mar 22: Accusing BJP-led NDA government of freezing Congress' bank accounts fearing defeat in the coming Lok Sabha polls, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday expressed hope that the people of the country will clearly reject the saffron party and "save" India.
BJP has no faith in democracy and Constitution, but has faith in dictatorship, he alleged, as he demanded that free and fair elections be held.
Claiming that the money voluntarily donated by the people was in the Congress accounts, Siddaramaiah expressed outrage about freezing of the entire account for a "small technical reason" and termed it as a "dictatorial attitude".
Speaking to reporters here, he said: "BJP troubling Congress like this so as to stop it from contesting the election is dangerous for democracy. This is condemnable."
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BJP has the mentality of "Manusmriti", the CM said. "For BJP there should be inequality, caste system should be strengthened, unemployment should increase, farmers' problems should not be solved."
BJP's intention is that Congress should not fight against these issues, he further said, adding that "the bank accounts have been frozen so that the Congress party does not have money for elections."
"In the name of CAA, Pulwama, Ayodhya, how many more years will you emotionally mislead Indians? You are not responding to the problems of people, but instigating them emotionally..... The people of India will remove you from power this time," he said.
AICC General Secretary in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala alleged that the accounts of Congress -- the principal opposition party in India -- are frozen just ahead of the elections and claimed that "democracy is under attack."
He accused BJP of using muscle and money power to lure opposition legislators and leaders in various states going against the Constitution or anti-defection law.
"Governors are now used as BJP tools, Election Commission is captured by a sinister law, ED and Income Tax departments are unleashed to conduct raids ahead of elections in various states," Surjewala said.
ಕೆಪಿಸಿಸಿ ಕಚೇರಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಆಯೋಜಿಸಿದ್ದ ಜಂಟಿ ಪತ್ರಿಕಾಗೋಷ್ಠಿಯನ್ನು ಉದ್ದೇಶಿಸಿ ಮಾತನಾಡಿದೆ.
— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) March 22, 2024
ಸೋಲಿನ ಭಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಕಾಂಗ್ರೆಸ್ ಬ್ಯಾಂಕ್ ಖಾತೆಗಳನ್ನು @BJP4India ಸರ್ಕಾರ ಫ್ರೀಜ್ ಮಾಡಿದೆ. ಈ ಬಾರಿ ಬಿಜೆಪಿಯನ್ನು ದೇಶದ ಜನ ಸ್ಪಷ್ಟವಾಗಿ ತಿರಸ್ಕರಿಸಿ ಭಾರತವನ್ನು ಉಳಿಸುತ್ತಾರೆ.
ಬ್ರಿಟೀಷರನ್ನು ಭಾರತದಿಂದ ಓಡಿಸಲು ಸುದೀರ್ಘ ಹೋರಾಟ ನಡೆಸಿ… pic.twitter.com/WRu2BA6rsE
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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.
