Karnataka: Under H D Kumaraswamy's glare, CM Siddaramaiah drops wrist jewel

Bengaluru: No one, not even Mr Siddaramaiah would have imagined that his former colleague, H.D. Kumaraswamy was keeping a close watch on his watch and goggles till the JD(S) leader ‘exposed’ the CM’s love for the costly stuff.

Now that it’s over and Siddu stands ‘exposed’ sans his glasses and watch — it seems to have mysteriously disappeared from his wrist — the CM humbly admitted on Wednesday that it was a gift from a friend. And if Mr Kumaraswamy was keen on it and really wanted it, he could have it all for Rs 5 lakh, he quipped.

He had a counter for Kumaraswamy too: Where were all the millions coming from to fund HDK son Nikhil Gowda’s film and his Rs 5 crore car? Not the one to let go of a chance to embarrass the CM, Mr Kumaraswamy wondered when the Lohiaite turned Congressman that Siddaramaiah is, had developed a fetish for expensive gifts.

Senior Congress leader B.K. Hariprasad wondered why a backward class leader like Mr Siddaramaiah could not wear an expensive watch, giving a casteist tilt to the episode. So keep ‘watch’ing this battle unfold!