Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah in soup over Rs 70 lakh watch gift

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday cornered Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah over a Rs. 70 lakh worth watch gifted to him and called for a probe into the matter.

"When you break a law, making amends and then saying that I am clean is not acceptable. He should have declared the moment the watch was gifted to him. Source of the gift and why it was gifted, he should have declared in much earlier. Now, he is doing it as an afterthought. This means that he has accepted the crime committed," Karnataka BJP leader S. Prakash told ANI.

"He should be punished. Inquiry must be held for the source of this watch. Does the government have the account of all the expensive gifts he has received?" he asked.

After drawing flak for his diamond studded Hublot watch, Siddaramaiah has reportedly decided to declare it as an asset before the Income Tax department and the Lokayukta.

Reports suggest that Siddaramaiah received the gift two years ago. The Opposition is questioning the delay on the Chief Minister's part in declaring his watch.

Even though the name of the person who gifted this watch to Siddaramaiah is still a mystery, Janata Dal (Secular) state president H.D. Kumaraswamy, who first revealed the watch's value, has vowed to make the matter public.