Won't accept Deputy Assembly Speaker post, says K'taka Congress MLA Puttarangashetty
Chamarajanagara, May 28: Senior Congress leader C Puttarangashetty, whose name has been cleared by the party for the position of Deputy Speaker of the Karnataka Assembly, on Sunday refused to accept the post.
The MLA, who is a strong Ministerial aspirant, said he decided not to accept the post following the views expressed by his supporters and voters.
"I won't accept the Deputy Speaker post, my supporters and voters have asked me not to accept it, stating that I may not be accessible for them. So they don't want me to accept it, so I will not accept it," Puttarangashetty told reporters here.
Noting that he represents the Uppara community and was aspiring to be a Minister, he said, if he accepts the responsibility of the Deputy Speaker, he cannot be amidst his people and it will be difficult for him to function.
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"I have conveyed this to Siddaramaiah (Chief Minister) too, but he insisted that I should accept it, but I had told him that I will ask my people and decide.....it will be difficult for me to function in the constituency and I may lose link with the people of the segment as I may stay away from it for long," he added.
Responding to a query, Puttarangashetty said he was assured a Minister position and hence he had been to Delhi.
"But on reaching Bengaluru, I got to know that I have not made it to the Ministry. I don't know what the reason is, Siddaramiah can explain," he said, adding that his supporters, who were upset staged a protest and have requested him to function just as an MLA.
Puttarangashetty's candidature for the Deputy Speaker's post has been approved by AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, the party had said recently.
He won from Chamarajanagara defeating BJP's V Somanna, who was Minister in the previous government.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday had expanded his cabinet by inducting 24 new Ministers.
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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.
