Watch row dies out, did CM's buddy broker peace with HDD?

Bengaluru: After dominating the headlines for weeks, the Hublot watch controversy has suddenly died out after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah handed over the costly watch to Speaker Kagodu Thimmappa. Sources said a minister in the Congress government too played a crucial role in ending the row by brokering peace with the Deve Gowda family.

State president of the JD(S) and Mr Deve Gowda’s son H.D. Kumaraswamy had first focused attention on the costly watch adorning the CM’s wrist, triggering the controversy which rocked the recent Legislature session leaving little time for regular business in the Houses.

What’s interesting is a comment made by Mr Kumaraswmay on the last day of the legislature session last week that he would not be raising the wrist watch issue again. He went to the extent of  saying that people who did not like him and Mr Siddaramaiah, had added fuel to this controversy.

But sources in the Congress party had a different story to tell. According to them, two days before Mr Kumaraswamy spoke in the session, a senior minister who was once in the JD(S), met family members of Mr  Deve Gowda. Some say the minister met Mr Deve Gowda twice in an attempt to bring about a truce.

As per the ‘deal’ which was struck, Mr Siddaramaiah would announce that he was handing over the watch to be made a state asset leaving no scope for  Mr Kumaraswamy to raise the issue the next day.

It is not sure how the Congress plans to repay the Gowda family for going soft on Mr Siddaramaiah as per the ‘quid pro quo.’ Sources said there is  a possibility of the reservation matrix for the zilla panchayats (ZP) being worked out to favour Kumaraswamy’s brother, H.D. Revanna’s wife, Bhavani. She would then find it easier to become Hassan zilla panchayat president after winning the recent ZP polls.