BENGALURU: In a frantic effort to scupper moves by BJP leaders to raise the controversial issue of his luxe wristwatch in Parliament, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah handed over his diamond-studded Hublot watch to Speaker Kagodu Thimmappa in the Legislative Assembly and declared it a state asset on Wednesday.
With Opposition legislators digging their heels in for the second consecutive day on their demand for a discussion on the gift received by the Chief Minister from a Dubai-based doctor, Mr Siddaramaiah passed on the wristwatch and his letter declaring it a state asset to Mr Thimmappa who subsequently handed them over to chief secretary, Mr Arvind Jadhav. The watch would henceforth be displayed in the cabinet hall.
Karnataka Assembly Speaker Kagodu Thimappa looks at the Hublot watch during the Assembly session in Bengaluru on Wednesday. (Photo: PTI)
At the end of the drama, Mr Thimmappa parried all questions on his involvement in the issue. With speculation rife that the watch was, in fact stolen from a local resident, there were several queries pertaining to it. “What if the person who lost the watch comes to you and asks for the watch? Don’t you think it was morally incorrect to hand over the watch to the chief secretary on behalf of the Chief Minister?” The Speaker, however, maintained “That question does not arise.”
