'PM has no moral right...': Siddaramaiah lashes out at Modi over corruption charges, challenges him for open debate

Bengaluru: Taking exception to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's comments during an election rally in Haryana about the Karnataka High Court verdict against him, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah threw down the gauntlet at the PM on Wednesday for a direct debate.

Taking the PM head on on X, Siddaramaiah asked him to choose one leader in Karnataka BJP not stained by corruption.

"Accused by your own party leaders of auctioning off the CM's post for Rs 2,500 crore, you have no right to speak about corruption."

He was referring to BJP's Bijapur City MLA and Hindutva leader Basanagouda Patil Yatnal's old allegation that the CM's seat was out for sale in the BJP government.

Training his guns at Modi, Siddaramaiah asked him whether his conscience doesn't prickle him while accusing others of corruption when he had inducted H D Kumaraswamy into his cabinet, who is facing charges in a Rs 100-crore illegal mining scam.

Accusing the BJP of "washing machine" politics, Siddaramaiah said Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, Maharashtra's Ajit Pawar, Ashok Chavan and Narayan Rane and Karnataka's Munirathna were the "corrupt" leaders cleaned by the "washing machine."

In a dig at Modi, Siddaramaiah said Karnataka had only seen puppets dancing with allegations against him and now it was time for them to know the mastermind behind them all.