Siddaramaiah-Yeddyurappa spar on Twitter as poll battle heats up in Karnataka

The Twitter spat took place after PM Modi's day-long visit to Bengaluru on Sunday

BENGALURU: A fresh war of words ignited on Twitter between Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the people of Karnataka to throw the "corrupt and dynastic" Congress out of power in upcoming Assembly elections. After PM Modi's day-long visit to Bengaluru on Sunday, Congress leader and state Chief Minister Siddaramaiah tweeted:

I welcome PM @narendramodi ರವರು to Namma Karnataka - the no. 1 state in investments,innovation & progressive policies.

Through a unique model of development, we have scripted several national firsts across key sectors. I am confident that Karnataka’s success makes India proud.

— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) February 4, 2018

Responding to the jibe, BJP state president B.S. Yeddyurappa raked up the ongoing issue of farmer suicides and corruption.

Thanks for the welcome CM @siddaramaiah avare! Yes. Karnataka indeed has scripted several firsts - No.1 Corrupt State, 3,500+ farmer suicides, collapse of law & order, mysterious deaths of officers, transfers of honest officials, crumbling infra of Bengaluru. #KarnatakaTrustsModi https://t.co/TXrdge4hDx — B.S. Yeddyurappa (@BSYBJP) February 4, 2018

Not taking the allegations lightly, CM Siddaramaiah reminded Yeddyurappa of the mining scam during his rule

Says a man who presided over India’s biggest mining scam during his rule. Only a person totally lacking in #KannadaSwabhimana can call Karnataka, one of the most progressive states in India, No. 1 Corrupt State. https://t.co/ceF4NiYoe1 — Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) February 4, 2018

In 2011, Yeddyurappa was asked to quit as Karnataka CM after he was accused in a mining scam worth over Rs 50,000 crore.

Other members of Congress and BJP also sparred on Twitter. 

Taking a dig at PM Modi, Congress social media head Divya Spandana Ramya asked he was on "pot". To this BJP's IT wing head Amit Malviya said more than 3,500 farmers have committed suicide in Karnataka, the highest for any state in India, but "speaking for them is being on 'POT'... Congress keeps it classy, again".