Bengaluru: After Chief Minister Siddharamaiah finding himself in the midst of a controversy over his Hublot wristwatch worth Rs. 70 lakh when he was the CM in his first term, he finds himself in a fresh row as JD(S) State Unit President H.D. Kumaraswamy alleged yesterday that a ‘Minister’ had gifted a cot and two pairs of sofa sets worth Rs. 1.9 crore through his supporters to Siddharamaiah.
The Hublot watch issue too was raised by Kumaraswamy in 2016 where he accused the ‘socialist Chief Minister,’ his one-time comrade-in-arms, of possessing the most expensive watch. The barb followed insinuations that Siddharamaiah had acquired a penchant for expensive spectacles and fancy footwear.
After the controversy, Siddharamaiah declared the Rs. 70 lakh diamond-studded Hublot Watch a ‘State asset’ and placed it in the Cabinet Hall at the State Secretariat Vidhana Soudha. The BJP even filed a complaint with the Enforcement Directorate seeking a probe into its origin.
“I have heard that a Minister had gifted a cot and two pairs of sofa sets worth Rs. 1.9 crore through his supporters to Siddharamaiah. This looks like an updated version of the Hublot Watch controversy. Someone has told me about this gift,” Kumaraswamy said at a press conference held in Bengaluru on the occasion of Deepavali.
“Siddharamaiah, who often terms me as ‘big liar,’ must come forward and reveal the truth behind who has gifted him such fanciful items,” he demanded.
Kumaraswamy, whose party has joined hands with the BJP, also took a swipe at the Government for carrying out renovation works at Ministers’ bungalows and purchasing new cars each worth Rs. 40 lakh instead of tackling the drought situation.
“It’s sad to list this Government’s priorities,” he said. “It has money to purchase new cars for Ministers. The State Government has released Rs. 10 crore already.” Kumaraswamy said that the State is going to spend a whopping Rs. 3 crore just to renovate the conference hall in CM’s home-office ‘Krishna.’
This post was published on November 13, 2023 7:44 pm