Congress president Rahul Gandhi today accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "insulting" Karnataka by trying to take "those who looted the state to its assembly".
"When in power, Yeddyurappa and Reddy Brothers looted Karnataka. Our Govt. brought them to justice. Now Mr Modi is trying to take 8 of them from jail, into the Vidhan Sabha. This is an insult to every honest citizen, to Karnataka and to the spirit of Basavanna," Gandhi wrote on Twitter.
Yeddyurappa is the BJP's chief ministerial face in Karnataka, and the party has decided to field the Reddy brothers, Somashekara and Karunakara, who have been accused of corruption by political opponents.
Gandhi, who will be on a two-day visit to the poll-bound state starting tomorrow, alleged the BJP had given tickets to five more "tainted candidates".
Basavanna was a 12th-century reformer and is considered a Lingayat icon.
Karnataka goes to polls on May 12 and the results will be declared on May 15.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)