BJP slams Siddaramaiah for remarks against PM

Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Wednesday slammed outgoing Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of encouraging horse-trading in the state, saying the Congress should understand that the mandate of the people is against it.

Taking a dig at the Congress, he said the Karnataka elections were a no-ordinary affair as Siddaramaiah lost in one constituency and "scraped through" in the other.

"Only 16 of his Cabinet colleagues lost in the elections," he said sarcastically.

"I have seen in the media utterly irresponsible, misleading and malicious comments by Siddaramaiah against our prime minister...I completely deny these allegations," Prasad told reporters here.

Siddaramaiah had accused Modi of encouraging horse-trading to bring the BJP to power in the state.

The prime minister in his address to BJP workers here had thanked the voters of Karnataka and promised that the Centre would work shoulder-to-shoulder with the state for its development, Prasad said.

"I don't think there was anything wrong in the prime minister's remarks" for Siddaramaiah to level such allegations, he said.

The law minister said the Congress should understand the mandate of the people and respect it.

PTI