A matter of time

All eyes are on Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah 's diamond-studded wristwatch

Two hands and 12 tiny gleaming diamonds have put Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in a spot. A Rs 70-lakh diamond-studded Hublot watch that the leader flaunted on his wrist for a few weeks has come back to haunt him.

The watch, Siddaramaiah claims, is a "gift from a friend" - the reason why it has raised issues of propriety. It is now up to Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala to decide whether he should approve a petition from a Right to Information (RTI) activist R Bhaskaran, who has asked that Siddaramaiah - a public servant who has received an expensive gift and not declared it to relevant authorities - be investigated under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

It is not only the diamond-studded Hublot that Siddaramaiah has flaunted on his wrist; other luxury watch brands that he has worn include Rolex and Audemars Piguet.

The complaint has come at a time when the chief minister, who has his base in rural Mysuru, is leading the Congress in fighting the local body elections. Siddaramaiah is also known for his penchant for designer sunglasses.

"Personal ostentation can elicit greater moral disapproval among people than scams that cost crores of rupees to the government," says Chandan Gowda, a professor of sociology at Azim Premji University.

"The episode of the expensive watch has been especially hard on Siddaramaiah, since he had identified himself as a pro-poor, pro-backward communities politician," he added.

Siddaramaiah, however, is not an exception; Karnataka politicians have been known for their fondness for expensive watches. As a minister in the R Gundu Rao cabinet in the early 1980s, C M Ibrahim had to resign under Opposition pressure after he flaunted a Rolex watch gifted by a Saudi prince. In the late 1990s, then chief minister J H Patel invited flak after he accepted an expensive watch as a gift from a business delegation from Malaysia.

Siddaramaiah's watch has also become a talking point for the chief minister's political rivals.

It was Janata Dal (Secular) president H D Kumaraswamy who first called attention to Siddaramaiah's Hublot and questioned his socialist credentials. "He wears an expensive watch and, at the same time, he claims to be pro-poor and a socialist. This doesn't tally," said Kumaraswamy.

"If someone gives an expensive gift, the payback will be many times more," said Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Suresh Kumar. "Shouldn't the chief minister come clean on what the deal is about?"

That the issue has stung Siddaramaiah is evident - this past week, he stopped sporting his fancy watch at public events.

He first denied that the watch and sunglasses were as expensive as they were made out to be, going so far as to offer them to anyone who would pay Rs 1 lakh at a press conference.