Addressing a massive gathering of Left Democratic Front workers, who laid a siege in front of the Secretariat here, Karat said Chandy should step down from office if he had any accountability to people.
"Congress has set shameless standards to see that their leaders are not accountable for what is happening in their ministries and offices," he said.
While there were instances of Chief Ministers and Union Ministers resigning on moral grounds earlier, the party had now stooped to low levels to protect corruption.
Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda said only an impartial probe by a judicial commission led by a High Court judge could come out with the truth on the solar scam and the Chief Minister should step down to make way for such a probe.
"The government cannot move ahead with an undeclared emergency all the time in view of the people's struggle. At least Chandy should step down to come out from the tangle," Gowda said.