Rahul hits back at Modi over graft charges against Karnataka govt

Gandhi, back in Karnataka for the seventh leg of his poll campaign, questioned the prime minister's authority to speak on corruption while being surrounded by BJP leaders accused of financial wrongdoing.

"Modiji comes here and speaks about corruption. When (fugitive diamantaire) Nirav Modi, whom Narendra Modi knows very well...knows by the first name, runs away with Rs 30,000 crore, he does not utter a word. "When he (Modi) stands on a stage, on his one side is Yeddyurappa, who has spent time in jail, on the other side there are four others, who have been to jail, and Modiji speaks about corruption," he told a gathering during a road-show.

Modi has often targeted the Siddaramaiah-led Congress regime in Karnataka over alleged corruption, calling it a "10 per cent commission government".

Without taking any names, Gandhi alleged that the BJP had given tickets to eight candidates, who were accused of corruption, for the May 12 Karnataka Assembly polls.

"They have given tickets to eight corrupt persons. This is the truth," he said and referred to the controversial and influential Reddy brothers of Ballari, linked to the alleged iron ore mining scam.

Two brothers of the alleged kingpin of the scam, G Janardhana Reddy -- Karunakara and Somashekhara -- are contesting the Karnataka polls on BJP tickets. "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 (sic)," the Congress chief had tweeted yesterday. Gandhi, during his campaign, has frequently invoked Basavanna, the 12th-century social reformer.