Raise Shivajinagar metro station naming issue with Centre: Siddaramaiah tells Maharashtra CM
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday asked his Maharashtra counterpart Devendra Fadnavis to take up with the central government any objections regarding the proposal to name the upcoming metro station near Shivajinagar in the city after St Mary.
The chief minister was responding to Fadnavis’ objection to the Karnataka government’s plan, which he termed “an insult to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.”
“Let him (Fadnavis) speak to the Government of India. We will send (recommendation on naming) to them (Centre); let him speak to them,” Siddaramaiah told reporters here in response to a question.
Siddaramaiah’s positive response earlier this month to the proposal has elicited objections from some sections, including the opposition BJP, which has termed the move as appeasement.
Participating in the inauguration of the annual feast at St Mary’s Basilica on September 8, Siddaramaiah said his government would recommend the naming to the Centre. The metro station is part of the under-construction Pink Line in the city.
Reacting to Fadnavis’ remarks, state Home Minister G Parameshwara on Friday asked, “Why is Fadnavis interested in Karnataka and Bengaluru’s matter all of a sudden? I don’t know.”
He added, “Decision regarding naming metro stations will be taken by the in-charge of Bengaluru development and Deputy Chief Minister (DK Shivakumar), as it is a matter related to Bengaluru.”
Accusing the Congress government of “appeasement politics,” Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy on Thursday said the naming should not be based on religion and that his party would oppose it.
“Will they remove the name Shivajinagar? They should not go beyond the limits to please someone. Appeasement has become the first choice of the Congress party. Because of appeasement, the party has gone to the dogs now; still, they are doing appeasement politics. It will not work. We will not allow it,” the BJP leader told reporters.
There have also been objections on social media to the naming on religious grounds, with some demanding that metro stations should be named after the locality or notable personalities.
Some have suggested naming the station after the late Kannada actor Shankar Nag, who is credited with envisioning Bengaluru’s rapid transit system in the 1980s.
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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.
