Did any BJP leader quit over Air India crash: Siddaramaiah on Bengaluru stampede
Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah addressed the state Assembly on Friday regarding the tragic stampede that occurred outside Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium on June 4, which resulted in the loss of 11 lives. Expressing his deep distress over the incident, Siddaramaiah defended his government amid calls for his resignation from the BJP.
Defending his government against BJP’s demand for his resignation, he drew comparisons with other national tragedies. “In the Air India crash, did anyone from the NDA or BJP resign? Were those not people who died? Then why is the BJP asking for our resignation over this stampede,” India Today quoted Siddaramaiah as saying.
Siddaramaiah expressed deep sadness over the stampede incident, acknowledging that he should have apologised for the tragedy. He noted that the pain of the parents of the victims still troubled him, and he remained disturbed by the loss of lives. He shared that he had received information about the incident at 5:30 pm on the day it occurred.
Responding to criticism from the BJP, Siddaramaiah admitted he had gone to a hotel with his grandson on the day of the incident. “My grandson had come from London and I had brought him for the Vidhana Soudha RCB event. He said, ‘Let’s eat dosa.’ That is why we went to the hotel. At 5:30 pm, I learnt of the incident. This is the truth. You may believe it or not. From the hotel, I called the commissioner. He initially said one person had died. By then, 11 people had died,” he explained.
The Chief Minister further mentioned that his actions upon learning of the disaster. "I called the Home Minister and asked him to come with me to the hospital. We both went, we saw the dead bodies, and we were deeply hurt. It has disturbed me greatly. I immediately ordered an inquiry," he added.
Siddaramaiah outlined the steps taken in the aftermath, stating that on June 4, he ordered a Deputy Commissioner’s inquiry, and on June 5, a one-man commission of inquiry was established. The commission’s report was submitted on July 10.
Despite these actions, the opposition BJP has rejected Siddaramaiah’s explanation. Leader of the Opposition, R Ashoka, dismissed the Chief Minister's defense as "unacceptable." He criticised the government’s handling of the incident, claiming, "11 innocent people lost their lives. Here, Siddaramaiah says it’s not our fault, not the government’s fault, it’s the fault of the police. So, are the police not under this government?"
BJP state president B.Y. Vijayendra also took aim at the Chief Minister, accusing him of shifting blame. “If government was not at fault, why have they taken Chief Minister's political secretary K Govindraj's resignation? Government is at fault,” he asserted.
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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.
