A video of a man helping Siddaramaiah with his shoes has gone viral, prompting opposition attacks
Highlights
- The video shows a person apparently tying Siddaramaiah's shoelaces.
- Media reports on Sunday said the man was his Personal Assistant .
- Chief Minister's Office said Siddaramaiah doesn't wear shoes with laces.
In an embarrassment for Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, a video of a person helping him with his shoes at an event in Mysuru has gone viral, prompting scathing opposition attacks and a series of explanations including one from the Congress leader himself.
The video shows a person bending down apparently tying the shoelaces of the Chief Minister and him looking elsewhere. Media reports on Sunday said the man was Siddaramaiah's Personal Assistant staying at his house in Mysuru. The 68-year-old leader however rubbished the claim.
"I clarify that nobody was putting my shoes on. Photo in question was taken while a relative had bent down to look for my shoes," Siddaramaiah was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Earlier, the Chief Minister's office scrambled to contain the row, saying the reports stating that the man seen helping is his relative and not a government servant.
"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 Chief Minister's Office also said footwear which was scattered, was just arranged and Mr Siddaramaiah doesn't wear shoes with laces so he doesn't need any assistance.
The opposition BJP however was quick to react, with state party General Secretary C T Ravi dubbing Mr Siddaramaiah "arrogant" and "pseudo socialist".In March this year, Siddaramaiah had been sparked another controversy over an expensive watch gifted to him and eventually 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 watch, claimed to be worth Rs 70 lakh and as Chief Minister, 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.
(With inputs from PTI)