Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Monday took a swipe at the BJP over its defeat in the Karnataka elections, saying the lesson from the poll outcome was that one cannot sell the same product, repeat the same lies or play the communal card all the time.

In the May 10 elections, the Congress won 135 of the 224 seats, while the BJP and the former prime minister H D Deve Gowda-led Janata Dal (Secular) secured 66 and 19 seats, respectively. In a tweet, Sibal said, "Lesson from Karnataka outcome: You can't: sell the same product, repeat the same lies, spew venom, vilify the past, align with a corrupt government and call others corrupt, play the communal card, all the time!"

Earlier on Sunday, Sibal had urged the Congress to "win people's hearts" for the next five years in the state by being open, honest and non-discriminatory.

Sibal, who was a Union minister during UPA 1 and 2, had quit the Congress in May last year and was elected to the Rajya Sabha as an Independent member with the Samajwadi Party's support. He recently floated a non-electoral platform 'Insaaf' aimed at fighting injustice.

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