When CM forgot about votes and calories...

The chief minister could not have asked for more! Yes, Siddaramaiah actually pampered himself with an array of South Indian snacks on Friday morning in Bengaluru. Eventually, it turned out to be a brunch for him.

Siddaramaiah, on the suggestion of Dr Sudhakar, Congress MLA from Chikkaballapur, decided to have breakfast in a hotel. The first choice was Vidyarthi Bhavan but it did not materialise as the eatery was closed. The next choice was Mavalli Tiffin Room (MTR) near Lalbagh. Sniffer dogs, as part of the security drill, went around the hotel before Siddaramaiah arrived.

The chief minister, accompanied by PWD minister H C Mahadevappa, Sudhakar, MLA Ashok Pattan and one Jagadish Reddy, were at MTR by 9.05 am. The arrival of the VIP guests took the hotel staff by surprise. Other customers and the media tried to strike a  conversation with Siddaramaiah about the BBMP elections.

 Quickly the menu card was laid out before the guests. The hotel is known for its signature Badam Halwa. And, that became the first choice of Siddaramaiah. Later, he had Rave Idli with a dash of ghee, chutney and saagu. It was followed by Bisibelebath, again with a liberal dose of ghee. When a waiter brought a crispy Masala Dose, he could not resist it. But he also announced he would skip lunch.

Even the two allopathic doctors by qualification, Mahadevappa and Sudhakar, who accompanied him, indulged themselves. Mahadevappa even offered a spoonful of Kesaribath to the chief minister. On top of it, Siddaramaiah, who usually does not relish coffee or tea, ordered coffee. When Mahadevappa raised his eyebrows, immediately Siddaramaiah asked the waiter to give him coffee with less sugar.
The chief minister, a diabetic, after indulging in the sugar-rich and high-fat spread, had coffee in a silver cup. This was not a special privilege for him as the hotel serves hot beverages to all its customers in silver cups. In a chat with the media, Siddaramaiah said, “My last visit to this hotel was in 2004. The hotel management has not compromised on quality. I am not supposed to eat sweets. The food had fat... cholesterol. Still, I ate because I liked the taste.”

Fat bill
It was the turn of Sudhakar to foot the bill, which was about Rs 25,000. He was the war room manager of the Congress party during the BBMP poll campaign. How did he get such a fat bill? “I have no idea... my manager handled the bill. May be a lot of people had breakfast. People may dub this a pre-poll exercise. But I wanted Siddaramaiah just to relax here.”How did the doctor duo feel about the rich breakfast? The young, trim Sudhakar said, “We are not supposed to eat such rich food. But once in a while, we can enjoy like this. We will do more Yoga tomorrow.”
When Siddaramaiah exited the restaurant, many jostled for a ‘selfie with the CM!’