Cong dares Modi to dismiss Karnataka govt on corruption charge

The Congress dared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to either dismiss the party's government in Karnataka and register cases against the corrupt, or tender an unconditional apology for his charges against it.

The party was reacting to Modi's attack on the Siddaramaiah government at a public rally here on Sunday.

The prime minister had accused the Congress government in Karnataka of setting new records in corruption, dubbing it a "10 percent commission government", and said the countdown for its exit has begun.

The Karnataka unit of the Congress said Modi termed the Siddaramaiah dispensation a "10 percent commission government", and Union Minister D V Sadananda Gowda called it a "30 percent commission state".

"When you have information about corruption prevailing in the state, why not dismiss the government by invoking Article 356 of the constitution and initiate criminal cases against those involved in corruption?" Congress spokesperson V S Ugrappa told reporters here.

He said if the prime minister has information of corruption, he should present it with facts before the people of the country.

Accusing Modi of breaching the dignity of the prime minister's office, Ugrappa said, "Modi lacks the statesmanship which all the prime ministers in the  past maintained throughout their tenure."

"BJP Mukt Bharat has started from Rajasthan... I will not say we want BJP Mukt Bharat, but I want Modi Mukt Bharat," the Congress spokesperson said.