The Congress on Wednesday questioned the legitimacy of the BJP government in Karnataka, arguing that a majority acquired through the assistance of legislators whose disqualification had been upheld by the Supreme Court was illegal and unconstitutional.

Describing the BJP as the “only beneficiary of defections”, the Congress asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to order a thorough investigation into “Operation Kamal”, the alleged drive to topple the Congress-JDS government in Karnataka, and remove chief minister B.S. Yediyurappa without delay.

It also asked the BJP not to defy political morality by rewarding the 17 Congress-JDS legislators, who helped it to upstage the government and come to power, by giving them tickets to contest the impending by-elections.

Congress communications chief Randeep Surjewala said: “Now the ball is in the Prime Minister’s court. Will he have the courage to sack the illegitimate Yediyurappa government, since he (Modi) is often found preaching about morality in public life?

“Will ‘Operation Kamal’ in Karnataka, notorious for using money and muscle power, be investigated impartially? Will the role of Yediyurappa and (BJP president) Amit Shah be examined? Will he deny tickets to unworthy MLAs whose disqualification was endorsed by the court?”

Surjewala added: “If Modi fails to do so, he will be held responsible for demolishing democracy, undermining the Constitution and lowering the political standards in the country. He will become the first Prime Minister who willfully vitiated the Ganga of politics.”

Referring to the audio-video tapes that suggested a purported role of Yediyurappa in purchasing MLAs, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said: “Defection has been described as a constitutional sin in the Tenth Schedule. The MLAs have now been held guilty of unethical malpractices. Huge amounts of money and other allurements were involved; they obviously didn’t switch sides for fresh air.

“They tried to help the BJP through the clever technique of resigning from the Assembly. But the Supreme Court has ruled that their conduct called for disqualification.”

Singhvi added: “The involvement of the central leadership in toppling a legitimate coalition government is well known. The true face of the BJP lies exposed. This is not for the first time; we have seen what they did in Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and elsewhere.

“It is now established beyond doubt that a democratically elected government was felled by using massive inducements, threats and allurements in disregard of every basic tenets of public propriety.”