From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Mar 2: In a bid to avoid further embarrassment personally and to the ruling Congress party in the State as well as at the national level, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has declared the Hublot Big Bang-301-M that was gifted to him by his Dubai-based friend Dr Girish Chandra Varma as a personal gift and declared it as a "Government Asset".

The Chief Minister, has in an official letter addressed to Karnataka State Assembly Speaker Kagodu Thimmappa on Wednesday, claimed that the expensive foreign diamond-studded wrist watch, which is reportedly worth Rs 70 lakh as "pre-owned."

Siddaramaiah also handed over the gifted wrist watch to the State Assembly Speaker with a covering letter, copies of which have been released to the media, that he has decided to declare the wrist watch as "Government Asset" following the precedents set by previous chief ministers and requested the Speaker to "forward" it to the Chief Secretary for being "placed in the State Cabinet Hall."

The pre-owned Hublot wrist watch, according to the Chief Minister, was gifted to him by his "friend" Dr Girish Chandra Varma in July 2015 in Bengaluru.

"Dr Girish Chandra Varma, a non-resident Indian based in Dubai, has no official dealings with the Government of Karnataka or any of its organisations," the Chief Minister claimed in his letter to the Speaker and disclosed that he "being a law-abiding citizen" has paid the tax on the said gifted watch as "advance tax" on Wednesday, March 2.

"I, being the Chief Minister of Karnataka, by following the precedents set by my predecessors in office, declare the gifted watch, Hublot Big Bang-301-M, as the Government asset and hand over this watch to the Hon’ble Speaker, Karnataka Legislative Assembly to forward the same to the Chief Secretary, Government of Karnataka, to place the same in the Cabinet Hall at Vidhana Soudha, on this day, 2nd March 2016," the letter said.

Siddaramaiah, while handing over the Hublot wrist watch and his letter addressed to the Speaker in the State Assembly, also personally explained the circumstances.

However, he did not explain why the gifted item received in July last year is being sought to be declared as a government asset now, six months later nor why the advance tax was being paid now almost at the fag-end of the current financial year.

Evidently, the declaration of the gifted watch as government asset and handing over the same to the State Assembly Speaker for forwarding it to the Chief Secretary for placing in the Cabinet Hall is an attempt to bury the controversy.

Further, the decision to pay advance tax on the gifted item, is considered as a move to pre-empt any possible inquiries by the Centre, especially the Enforcement Directorate. By claiming that the watch as "pre-owned," the Chief Minister is obviously trying to pre-empt any demands to produce the receipts as the original buyer is a "non-resident Indian" and also seen as a ploy to reduce the payment of exorbitant customs duty and other levies on an item described as "pre-owned."