No commission allegation on Congress by contractors, says Priyank Kharge
'Contractors have asked for clearance of bill'
Bengaluru: Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge has refuted the BJP's allegation that the Congress government in the state has demanded 15 per cent commission from the BBMP contractors, stating that the contractors' association has not accused the government of asking for commission but only asked to be paid for their services at projects.
Speaking to the media at the Vidhana Soudha on Thursday, Kharge called it merely an act of desperation by the BJP. “The contractors' association has not stated anywhere that the government has asked them for a commission. The contractors have only said that their bills have not been cleared by the government,” said the minister.
“Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Minister DK Shivakumar have already clarified on the matter. The Chief Minister has additionally said that the contractors will be paid after completion of the work. The BJP, however, has continued making its charges. Do I consider that the BJP itself has taken a bribe to do so?” asked Kharge.
He suggested to the BJP to concentrate now on selection of the Opposition Leader for the Karnataka Assembly rather than criticize the Congress government.
Former Chief Minister Basavaraja Bommai had said earlier that the contractors' association had spoken to senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi too, about the 65 per cent commission demanded by the Congress government.
“Rahul Gandhi, who claims to be intolerant of corruption, should intervene in the matter and ensure that the contractors' bills is cleared. If he fails to do so, it would mean that Karnataka is an ATM for the Congress,” Bommai told reporters at his RT Nagar residence in the city on Thursday, after receiving a memorandum from the office-bearers of the BBMP Contractors' Association requesting that their bills be cleared.
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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.
