Senior Congress leader draws flak for remark on former PM Deve Gowda
Bengaluru, Jul 1: A former Congress legislator K N Rajanna got a backlash for his statement that former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda would soon be carried by four people, meaning that the 88-year-old's end was near. Later, Rajanna tendered an apology.
At a function at Madhugiri in Tumakuru district of Karnataka on Thursday, Rajanna appealed to the electorate to vote for him in the upcoming Assembly election as this would be his last election.
This will be my last election. I am not going to contest elections anymore even if you ask me to because I am already 72. After five years, I will be 77, that is when my hands and legs will be shaking, Rajanna told the gathering.
Suddenly, some one in the crowd reminded him of Deve Gowda, who is still active in electoral politics.
Quickly Rajanna said, Deve Gowda is presently being carried by two people. Soon, four people will carry him.
The remark drew the ire of the family of the JD(S) leader, the Opposition Congress as well as the BJP.
There are people who say Deve Gowda does not have strength anymore. I have to demonstrate as to how strong I am. I would like to say that there is something called strength - God, Gowda said at the party office - JP Bhavan - during an event Janata Mitra,' which kickstarted today.
Gowda's son and former Karnataka chief minister H D Kumaraswamy said the words of Rajanna display a distorted mindset, and arrogance.
Today, the way a great Congress leader spoke ill against honourable Deve Gowda, exhibiting his distorted mindset, reflects on his culture. I am hurt by those words..., the JD(S) second-in-command said.
He said, I am hurt not because he (Gowda) is my father. I often cry whenever I go to anyone's funeral. The words "carried by four people" show his arrogance. There is someone above us. You are not God, you are just an ordinary human being.
Gowda's grandson and a Member of Parliament Prajwal Revanna said people of Madhugiri, who rejected Rajanna in the previous election, would beat him up for his remark.
Karnataka Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister J C Madhuswamy who is an MLA from Madhugiri advised Rajanna to respect an elderly politician.
As a friend, I want to tell Rajanna that he should not have said so. Whatever may be the politics, he should not have spoken so, of an elderly politician, Madhuswamy said.
The Congress State president D K Shivakumar condemned the remark.
It is deplorable and inhumane to speak ill of a senior statesman and worshipful Deve Gowda, who has served the State as well as the nation. I ask Rajanna to apologise, Shivakumar said.
Apologising, Rajanna said he has respect for Gowda and his intention was not to hurt him, his family or his well-wishers.
Those who heard me have perceived me wrongly. However, I will not get into any argument. I regret if my words have hurt him, his family or well-wishers, and I apologise, Rajanna said.
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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.
