Cong MLA claims DK Shivakumar will become K'taka CM after Dec, faces party action
Bengaluru, Aug 16 (PTI): Karnataka Congress MLA Basavaraju V Shivaganga on Saturday claimed that Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar will become the CM of the state after December.
However, Shivakumar, who is also the Congress state president, termed Shivaganga's statement as a "violation of party discipline" and said a notice will be served to him.
"After December D K will become the CM...," Shivaganga, MLA from Channagiri told reporters in Davangere.
The MLA has previouisly made similar statements to the media about a change in the Chief Minister's post, asserting that Shivakumar will assume the role in the coming days.
Later in the day, Shivakumar in a statement said despite several warnings, Shivaganga continued to make such statements. "A notice will be served to him."
"No one should talk about the CM post and other issues. MLAs should follow party discipline. They should not cross the line. They have been strictly instructed in the past not to create confusion by making unnecessary statements. Despite this, Shivaganga once again making a statement on the matter is in violation of party discipline. Therefore, a notice will be served to him," Shivakumar said.
Speculation has been rife within state's political circles, especially within the ruling Congress, about a possible change of Chief Minister change later this year, citing a power-sharing agreement between incumbent Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar.
Amid these speculations, Siddaramaiah had asserted that he will be the Chief Minister for a full five-year term.
There was stiff competition between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar for the chief minister's post after the declaration of Assembly election results in May 2023, and the Congress had managed to convince the latter and made him the Deputy CM.
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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.
