No leadership change, Yediyurappa will be CM: Karnataka BJP Chief
Bengaluru: Ruling out leadership change, Karnataka BJP President Nalin Kumar Kateel on Thursday said there should be no doubt about party giving a stable government in the state for the next three years, with B S Yediyurappa as the Chief Minister.
With speculations about leadership change and social media posts allegedly by Deputy Chief Minister Laxman Savadi's supporters, projecting him as the next CM, the BJP Chief said it is the party that decides on such matters not supporters, and any violation of discipline will not be tolerated.
Speaking to reporters in Chamarajanagara, Kateel said, "There are no discord (within the party). For next three years our government will be stable and run the administration.
Yediyurappa will be Chief Ministers for remaining three years completely, let there be no doubt about it."
Seeking to know who asked for a change in the Chief Minister, he said, "No one has asked from the party....social media is not the party."
"Has any MLA asked for it? It is MLAs who elect the CM, have they asked for it? Have any Ministers asked? Have any party office bearers asked for it, no one," he said.
As his visit to New Delhi at the time the BJP government in the state completed one year in office sparked speculation about leadership change, Savadi too on Wednesday had said Yediyurappa is our leader and he will complete his three year term.
Questioning whether Laxman Savadi has said that he had gone to Delhi for leadership change, Kateel said, "supporters may be posting things, but what are they in the party? It is party that decides on such matters, we have certain discipline and rules."
If anyone violates such discipline and rules, we will not tolerate it, he said, adding that "Those who claim to be supporters or followers are not the party, Laxman Savadi had gone to Delhi to discuss with central ministers about matters concerning his department."
According to some within the party, Savadi had gone to Delhi to save himself from being axed during the next cabinet expansion or rejig.
Speculations are rife that Yediyurappa is looking to expand his cabinet in August, and it is no secret that there are too many aspirants for the berths.
While several of the old guard are waiting for a chance to be inducted into the Ministry, those who defected from the Congress and JD(S) like A H Vishwanath, R Shankar and MTB Nagaraj, who are now BJP MLCs, are also aspiring for slots.
Currently, the cabinet has 28 members while six berths are still vacant.
According to party sources, several ministers who fear axing if there is a cabinet rejig, are trying to reach out to leaders in Delhi to ensure that they continue in the Ministry.
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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.
