Mysuru: In an embarrassment to Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah, a video of a person tying his shoelaces at an event here has gone viral, prompting opposition BJP to dub him as “arrogant” and “pseudo-socialist.” The video shows a person bending down to tie the shoelaces of the chief minister and him looking elsewhere.
Some reports said the man was Siddaramaiah’s personal assistant staying at his house in Mysuru, but the chief minister’s media advisor clarified in a tweet that he was a relative.
“It is hereby clarified that the person tying CM Siddaramaiah’s shoelaces is not his staff, but his relative: Media Adviser to Karnataka CM,” the tweet said.
The BJP was quick to react, with state party General-Secretary C.T. Ravi dubbing Mr Siddaramaiah as “arrogant” and “pseudo-socialist.” “Arrogance of Pseudo Socialist @CMofKarnataka has no limits. Absolutely disgusting that Siddaramaiah gets his shoes fitted by an assistant,” Mr Ravi tweeted.
In March this year, Mr Siddaramaiah had been mired in a controversy over an expensive watch gifted to him and he had handed it over to the Speaker in the state assembly, declaring it a state asset. He had written to the Speaker, saying he had paid “advance tax” for the Hublot watch — claimed to be worth Rs 70 lakh — and as CM, was following precedents set by his predecessors and declaring it as government asset.
Siddaramaiah had said the watch was presented to him by his Dubai-based NRI friend Dr Girish Chandra Varma in July 2015 at Bengaluru as a personal gift.
