Gowda-Krishna war reaches city cafes

Gowda-Krishna war reaches city cafes
The Pioneer

The fight between Karnataka's most bitter political rivals, former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda and Maharashtra Governor SM Krishna, has reached the streets.

With Gowda holding the remote of the State Government run by his son HD Kumaraswamy, the former Prime Minister is hell-bent on taking his fight with Krishna to the streets.

In this tussle for supremacy between the two Vokkaliga chieftains for control of Karnataka politics, the latest victim is Krishna's son-in-law VG Sidhartha, the reclusive coffee baron who owns the Café Coffee chain.

According to sources, the Gowda clan suspects that Sidhartha controls finances of the Maharashtra Governor and hence the Gowda clan wanted to strike at him where it hurts the most.

The Bangalore City Corporation has ordered immediate closure of some of the coffee outlets of Sidhartha. Most of these oulets have the ambience of European cafes, overlooking roads, which serve as a hangout for the upwardly mobile crowds.

Sidhartha has contributed in no small measure in making Bangalore the most happening city by opening the trendiest garden cafes. It was on account of these cafes that Bangalore, which was earlier known as the pub capital, slowly developed the coffee culture and attracted many people.

It had become a habit with the trendy crowd to sit in these cafes and watch life pass by on the fashionable MG Road. Unlike bars which had a closure deadline, coffee cafes would be open late in the evenings. The mushrooming of coffee cafes had affected the pub business.

The contention of Corporation authorities is that the cafes were set up in areas earmarked as setback areas of commercial buildings, which are supposed to be left vacant.

The drive against coffee outlets has also affected other players in the market, including Barista.

According to one of the licence-holders, his licence is valid till next year. With the diktat for the closure coming from top, there was very little the management could do to defend itself.

At Garuda Mall, the latest mall near Brigade Road, a Café Coffee Day outlet was asked to shut shop on the ground of fire safety.

A spokesperson for the chain said they were in talks with the City Corporation authorities to reopen cafes.