Bengaluru: Even as his expensive Hublot watch controversy still lingers in the minds of many people, Chief Minister Siddharamaiah, who was sworn-in as the Chief Minister for the second time only on Saturday, has once again caught the attention of the media as his new Rado watch has started ticking now!
He was seen flaunting a flashy new Rado wristwatch, said to have been gifted to him by his wife Parvathi, at a party event to observe former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s 32nd death anniversary here on Sunday.
It is said, when CM Siddharamaiah showed off his new Rado wristwatch to Minister M.B. Patil, who was sitting to his left, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who was sitting to his right, grew curious. He also held Siddharamaiah’s hand to have a closer look at the new watch.
Minister Patil later told reporters that the watch was gifted to Siddharamaiah by his (Siddu) wife. “That is why he was looking at it with so much love. I told him to wear only this watch going forward,” he pointed out.
During his earlier stint as the CM (2013 – 2018), Siddharamaiah was at the centre of controversy over a diamond-encrusted Hublot watch, worth about Rs. 70 lakh, that he said was gifted to him by a Dubai-based friend.
It may be recalled that the incident was given a quiet burial when the CM handed over the watch to the then Speaker K.B. Koliwad through a declaration.
However, the former Deputy Superintendent of Police Anupama Shenoy had then alleged that the CM (Siddu) had taken the watch as bribe in exchange for passing two projects. She had also demanded that the watch, which is now in the possession of the Government, be protected.
This post was published on May 22, 2023 7:42 pm