- Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar wore luxury Santos de Cartier watches reportedly worth Rs 43 lakh
- BJP criticised Siddaramaiah for flaunting an expensive watch amid Karnataka's drought, infrastructure issues
- Similar controversy occurred in 2016 when Siddaramaiah wore a Rs 70 lakh Hublot watch
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar have found themselves in a controversy - similar to the one in 2016 - over wearing luxury watches. The two leaders were seen wearing a 'Santos de Cartier' watch, reportedly worth Rs 43 lakh, during a breakfast meeting, sparking a sharp criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The BJP, in a post on X, slammed Siddaramaiah and undermined his image as a "socialist" leader.
"Mr Siddaramaiah, your definition of Socialism seems to come with a very high price tag. While the people of Karnataka struggle with drought and crumbling infrastructure, our "Simple Socialist" CM flaunts a Santos de Cartier," the Karnataka unit of the party said.
The party also mentioned a similar controversy from nearly six years ago when Siddaramaiah was seen wearing a Rs 70 lakh watch. "The brand changes. The 'socialism' remains expensive," it said.
In 2016, Siddaramaiah was seen wearing a Hublot watch, with the Janata Dal Secular's HD Kumaraswamy claiming it was worth Rs 70 lakh. The Opposition BJP in the state had demanded a probe and raised the issue in the Assembly session. The party had also approached the Enforcement Directorate. Siddaramaiah had then clarified that it was a gift from a doctor friend working in the Middle East, who handed over his own watch to him when he admired it.
The fresh row comes amid the ongoing speculations about a change in Chief Minister in Karnataka after the Congress government reached the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20. Siddaramaiah and his deputy held two breakfast meetings in the last four days to resolve the power tussle.
While the outcome of the meetings is unclear, sources told NDTV that the two leaders will fly to Delhi to meet the Congress brass, including party President Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, on December 8. This will be preceded by a meeting with senior Congress leader KC Venugopal.
Siddaramaiah, meanwhile, has reiterated that he will abide by what the party high command decides.
