Former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah. | Photo Credit: Times Now

Bengaluru: Amid the ongoing tussle between the Congress, Janata Dal (Secular) and the Bharatiya Janata Party in the Karnataka power struggle, former state chief minister and Congress leader Siddaramaiah has yet again found himself in a controversy after a brand new, swanky Mercedes car was found parked at his residence.

The top-of-the-line 2019 model Mercedes-Benz SUV (sports utility vehicle) worth around Rs 1.8 crore was apparently gifted to him by Congress MLA B Suresh.

The BJP quickly labelled this gift as 'bribe' after Suresh's recent appointment as the Karnataka State Small Industries Development Corporation chairman.

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This is the second time a similar controversy has befallen Siddaramaiah after he was earlier seen wearing a Hublot watch worth Rs 70 lakh. The former CM's extraordinary way of life has dented the party image time and again, this time being worse as the nation is headed towards the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Congress' DK Shivakumar also defended the former chief minister and said that there are no records of the car being a gift.

DK Shivakumar on reports that a Congress MLA gifted a 2019 Mercedes-Benz car to Siddaramaiah: There is no gift or anything. We also sometimes take our friends' vehicle to travel. There is no issue. Is there any record that he has received a gift or anything? Nothing, no record pic.twitter.com/BtLrBH6eUF — ANI (@ANI) January 20, 2019

Suresh, however, denied the rumours of the 'gift' and said in his defence that he had given the car to Siddaramaiah only to drive around.

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