A box of sweets and a lakh in cash: Karnataka CMO’s ‘Deepavali gift’ leaves journalists fuming

A reputed media organisation wrote a scathing letter to Basavaraj Bommai's office over the 'audacious' cash gift soon after returning it.

ByAnusha Ravi Sood

Published Oct 28, 2022 | 7:18 PMUpdatedOct 28, 2022 | 10:26 PM

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai. File Photo.

What are your preferred gifting options for Deepavali? Sweets, or perhaps dry fruits?

For the Karnataka Chief Minister’s office, it seems the list also includes ₹1 lakh in cash.

Several journalists in Karnataka were left baffled on Saturday, 22 October, when a Deepavali gift box from Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai’s office came with an envelope containing ₹1 lakh in cash.,

South First spoke to scribes who confirmed receiving the “audacious gift” personally from the members of the Chief Minister’s media team, unaware of its contents, only to return it later.

“It felt like I was having a panic attack. I had never held ₹1 lakh cash in my hands before. It only seemed like just a festive box of sweets at first, but I later found an envelope with ₹1 lakh under the box,” a senior journalist told South First, requesting anonymity.

Gift proves too costly for CMO

While dozens of journalists receive sweet boxes from CMO every year on Deepavali this time a few select journalists — newspaper and television reporters who cover politics — were handpicked for a special addition: ₹1 lakh in cash.

Journalists recalled the events that unfolded on Saturday. “The Chief Minister’s media coordinator came with a bag of sweets which seemed festive business-as-usual. We spoke for a bit after which he gave me a sweet box,: the senior journalist said.

“As soon as I found the envelope with money later, I reached out to him to return the money, making it clear that I don’t work this way. I told him this was utterly unnecessary and unacceptable,” the journalist added.

The scribe then reported the matter to the editors and returned the money to the CMO official.

It was only a few days later that more journalists shared similar experiences. “Shock”, “insulting”, “blatant”, “audacious” are some of the words scribes used to describe the attempt by CMO officials.

Media outfit fumes over cash, Bommai apologises

It is common for several politicians, political parties, businesses to send sweet boxes, dry fruits or chocolates as Deepavali gifts to media houses and journalists to mark celebrations during festivals. But cash in the gift box left a prominent media house fuming.

Sources from the reputed media outlet confirmed to South First that a scathing letter was shot off to Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai via email. The official letter, signed by two members of the editorial management, condemned the CMO’s cash gift.

Sources said that on Thursday, 27 October, Chief Minister Bommai personally spoke to editors of news outlets to apologise for the blunder his office had committed. Even then, Bommai is said to have maintained that he had no knowledge of cash being placed in the gift packs.

South First contacted officials of the CMO and BJP members over the issue. They expressed ignorance over the matter.