BJP disrupts Karnataka session over CM Siddaramaiah’s watch

At the heart of the controversy is an expensive Hublot watch which Siddaramaiah was seen wearing recently. The Opposition has claimed that the watch is worth Rs 70 lakh. The CM, however, has said that it is worth around 15 lakh and he received it from his friend, a Dubai-based doctor. Siddaramaiah has claimed that the Opposition was indulging in “character assassination” and also said that he is being targeted for being a leader of the backward classes.

On Tuesday, the CM said the issue would not attract provisions of the FCRA since his friend Dr Girish Chandra Varma is an NRI and not a foreign national. “I have already said that I got the watch as a gift in July from a Dubai-based NRI friend. I will declare it in my I-T returns and to the Lokayukta as well. I have also said I will deposit the watch with the state,” he said.

The CM also tried to counter the BJP’s protests by saying that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had worn an expensive suit worth Rs 10 lakh last year.

The row surrounding the Hublot watch was triggered when former chief minister and JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy, during an election campaign last month, referred to it and questioned Siddaramiah’s socialist credentials.