Bengaluru : Karnataka : Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said he prefers a simple lifestyle and still gets his haircut for just Rs 50, despite having declared assets worth more than Rs 1,400 crore. Speaking at the India Today Roundtable Karnataka, Shivakumar recalled an incident in Delhi after he became chief minister.
He wanted to visit his regular barber in the colony where he lived, but security personnel advised him against visiting a public place and suggested that the barber come to his residence instead. Shivakumar said he refused and continued to prefer getting the haircut from his usual barber.
“I believe in simple living,” the Karnataka CM said, adding that expensive items associated with him are often gifts from friends rather than things he personally seeks out.
He cited a Louis Vuitton muffler gifted by a friend as an example and said that living simply was important to him and including people in the political corridors, talking.
"Lot of my friends visit me and give me expensive items like a Louis Vuitton muffler that is not in my hands. I want a simple life," he said. However, his comments drew criticism from the BJP, which highlighted Shivakumar's declared wealth.
According to his 2023 Karnataka Assembly election affidavit, Shivakumar and his dependants had declared total assets of around Rs 1,413.78 crore. The BJP's Karnataka unit accused him of hypocrisy, pointing to luxury items reportedly associated with him.
“Rs 50 haircut = simple living. Rolex Daytona + LV scarf + Cartier watch = also simple living apparently,” the BJP's Karnataka unit posted on X.
The party described the remarks as “hypocrisy pro max” and shared references to reports about the chief minister's wealth and luxury possessions.
Shivakumar, meanwhile, maintained that his personal preference is for a modest lifestyle, saying, “How much can you eat?” and stressing that simplicity is a basic courtesy of living.
