Senior Congress leader A K Antony today said his party's aim was to oust Prime Minister Narendra Modi from power by joining hands with secular parties, adding that the Congress-JD(S) combine in Karnataka was a step in this direction.
He was speaking at a function here to mark the 27th death anniversary of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.
The former defence minister alleged that Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala had invited the BJP to form the government in the southern state on the instructions of Modi, though the Congress-JD(S) combine had more MLAs and vote share than the saffron party.
"The Congress-JD(S) combine in Karnataka is the beginning of the party's aim to oust Narendra Modi (who is butchering democracy) from power by including secular parties," he said.
Antony also charged that six ministers of the NDA-led Centre had camped in Karnataka to oversee the efforts of "horse-trading" and woo the MLAs of the opposite camp.
The Central Working Committee (CWC) member also highlighted the contributions made by Rajiv Gandhi in various fields, including science and technology and IT.
KPCC president M M Hassan and senior leader