Never thought I'd sit in new Parliament building in my lifetime, I did now at age 91: HD Deve Gowda
Bengaluru, May 28: Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, who on Sunday attended the inauguration of the new Parliament building in New Delhi said it is his good fortune that he witnessed a great moment in India's democratic history.
The 91-year-old expressed his joy, saying he never thought that he would sit in a new Parliament building in his lifetime.
"It is my good fortune that I witnessed a great moment in India's democratic history. I entered the Karnataka legislative Assembly in 1962 and have been a Member of Parliament since 1991. When I entered this great house of the people 32 years ago, I had never thought I will be Prime Minister, and I did not expect to last this long in public life," Gowda said.
"But the even bigger surprise is that I never thought I will be seated in a new Parliament building in my lifetime I did so at the age of 91," he said in a statement.
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In the Indian tradition, and in the lifetime of an ordinary Indian, the construction of a new home and entering a new home is a very auspicious and rare moment, he said, adding that "In the life of a nation, it is an extraordinary moment."
Noting that when the old Parliament House was inaugurated, India was still under colonial rule and freedom was not on the horizon, the JD(S) patriarch, remembering the several prominent national personalities, said, "Our nation and Parliament is not stained by a bloody revolution".
"We became a nation through peaceful and non-violent means. This was a priceless achievement. That is our inheritance and that is the value system we have to preserve and pass on to our future generations," he said.
According to Gowda, since Independence our Parliament has seen highs and lows, and it has seen arrogance and humility, victories and defeats, but overall it has tried to keep a balance and fulfill the aspirations of the people of India.
Parliament has nourished all castes, all ethnicities, all religions, all languages and all geographies, the veteran leader said, "It has accommodated all nature of opinion, ideas and ideologies. It has celebrated diversity and there is no greater goal for us in this new home of our democracy than to preserve this enormous diversity of India."
He pointed out that the people of India have always been watchful and very wise, and that whenever they have seen someone commit excess and disturb the equilibrium of our nation, they have quietly taken them out of this great house.
"They have taught us all public servants the hardest lessons at times. I salute all the people of India on this occasion of the inauguration of the new Parliament building," Gowda said.
"I sincerely pray that our rich democratic tradition continues and flourishes as time passes by and helps India shine for all time to come," he added.
These are my thoughts after participating in the inauguration of the new Parliament building, today. pic.twitter.com/hc5HIYTY3P
— H D Devegowda (@H_D_Devegowda) May 28, 2023
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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.
