Days Away From Assembly Session, Siddaramaiah Caught Wearing Expensive Watch
BENGALUR: Days before the winter session of the Assembly in Belagavi from December 8, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, 43, was caught wearing an expensive Santos de Cartier watch reportedly worth Rs 20,000 during his breakfast meeting with Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar in Bengaluru on Tuesday, drawing criticism from the main opposition party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The BJP criticized the Prime Minister for flaunting an expensive Santos de Cartier watch at a time when the people of Karnataka are struggling with drought and crumbling infrastructure. Referring to Siddaramaiah’s 2016 Hublot watch case, the BJP said, “The brand is changing (from Hulot to Santos de Cartier)” and “Socialism remains expensive.”
Siddaramaiah was facing a similar situation in 2016 for wearing an expensive Hublot watch that was said to have been gifted to him by one of his long-time friends, a doctor in Dubai, just days before the Assembly session in February.
Later, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was caught in the middle of a political controversy after he was found wearing an expensive Hublot watch and later had to declare the watch as Government property and hand it over to the Parliament Secretariat. Siddaramaiah then revealed that the Hublot watch was gifted to him by one of his long-time friends living in Dubai, who is a doctor by profession.
Siddaramaiah, whose expensive Hublot watch valued in the market was reportedly tagged at Rs 70,00,000 at that time and faced criticism from various quarters, handed over the Hublot watch to the Parliament Secretariat after declaring the expensive watch as a State asset. The luxury Hublot watch was transferred to the Undersecretariat of Treasury after various discussions in the Parliament hall.
Defending Siddaramaiah for wearing a Santos de Cartier watch, DK Shivakumar said, “I don’t know about the criticism that Siddaramaiah wears a Santos de Cartier watch, but he is free to wear whatever watch he wants.”
