Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy is planning to move out of the posh five-star hotel Taj West End in Bengaluru after coalition partners Congress and Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) witnessed an embarrassing defeat in the Lok Sabha elections.
Even though Kumaraswamy has been operating more from his residence in JP Nagar, two expensive suites were booked for CM on a permanent basis for a year in 2018. His stay at the uber luxurious hotel had sparked several controversies in the state, where the opposition party leaders had questioned him for his extravagant lifestyle.
According to reports, the current decision to relieve the hotel suites comes after a political strategy meeting with Congress leader Siddaramaiah. The party leaders had conducted the meeting to save the coalition government from toppling in the state.
However, JD (S) sources have claimed the decision to vacate the hotel suites comes after the advice from his personal astrologer. Kumaraswamy was also criticised earlier for several astrological beliefs including the CM's residence which he had resisted from staying stating of some Vaastushastra reasons.
The sources claim that the hotel suite was booked by a businessman for HD Kumaraswamy and is not paid from the government exchequer. The room was booked for a year and the booking will expire in August. The Gowda family's beliefs in vaastu and auspicious timings are famous in the state.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has also claimed that HD Kumaraswamy had made tall claims of austerity, by declining to stay at official residence and car but indulges in such extravagant spendings.
