<p>Former chief minister, also Opposition leader, Siddaramaiah continued his tirade against BJP leaders and government and claimed that the BJP has no moral right to question him. Siddaramaiah asked, “Shall I take out old cases of Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa?”</p>.<p>Speaking to reporters here, on Saturday, Siddaramaiah took severe exception to BJP general secretary N Ravi Kumar seeking accountability on Siddaramaiah’s Hublot watch, which courted a controversy in 2018. Siddaramaiah said, it is a closed chapter and the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has given a clean chit to him in the case.</p>.<p>Siddaramaiah said that he has declared his Hublot wristwatch, gifted by a friend, as a government asset and the watch is in Vidhana Soudha. “ACB conducted a detailed investigation in connection with the watch. Why is the BJP raking up old issues? Shall I point at Yediyurappa’s old cases?” Siddaramaiah asked.</p>.<p>“Did I purchase the watch with government’s money? Did I loot government’s money to purchase the watch? The watch was a gift,” he asserted.</p>.<p>Replying to a query about BJP leaders’ comments that Siddaramaiah has no moral right to speak against corruption as he sits next to Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president D K Shivakumar, who was arrested and sent to Tihar jail in Delhi, in a money-laundering case, Siddaramaiah said, the case is pending before the court and the court has granted bail to Shivakumar.</p>.<p>“The charges are not proved. The Enforcement Directorate raided his house and it was politically motivated. Do the BJP leaders have moral right to speak against corruption?” he questioned.</p>.<p>Highlighting the Covid-19 pandemic, Siddaramaiah said, “The state government is a total failure in containing the spread and protecting infected patients. The government is not yet prepared and there are no beds in hospitals.”</p>
<p>Former chief minister, also Opposition leader, Siddaramaiah continued his tirade against BJP leaders and government and claimed that the BJP has no moral right to question him. Siddaramaiah asked, “Shall I take out old cases of Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa?”</p>.<p>Speaking to reporters here, on Saturday, Siddaramaiah took severe exception to BJP general secretary N Ravi Kumar seeking accountability on Siddaramaiah’s Hublot watch, which courted a controversy in 2018. Siddaramaiah said, it is a closed chapter and the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has given a clean chit to him in the case.</p>.<p>Siddaramaiah said that he has declared his Hublot wristwatch, gifted by a friend, as a government asset and the watch is in Vidhana Soudha. “ACB conducted a detailed investigation in connection with the watch. Why is the BJP raking up old issues? Shall I point at Yediyurappa’s old cases?” Siddaramaiah asked.</p>.<p>“Did I purchase the watch with government’s money? Did I loot government’s money to purchase the watch? The watch was a gift,” he asserted.</p>.<p>Replying to a query about BJP leaders’ comments that Siddaramaiah has no moral right to speak against corruption as he sits next to Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president D K Shivakumar, who was arrested and sent to Tihar jail in Delhi, in a money-laundering case, Siddaramaiah said, the case is pending before the court and the court has granted bail to Shivakumar.</p>.<p>“The charges are not proved. The Enforcement Directorate raided his house and it was politically motivated. Do the BJP leaders have moral right to speak against corruption?” he questioned.</p>.<p>Highlighting the Covid-19 pandemic, Siddaramaiah said, “The state government is a total failure in containing the spread and protecting infected patients. The government is not yet prepared and there are no beds in hospitals.”</p>