Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday tore into the Congress-JDS coalition in Karnataka over corruption, dynasty politics and CM Kumaraswamy’s purported comment on Army personnel.

Slamming Kumaraswamy for his alleged remark that those who don’t get to eat properly join defence services, Modi said that those who insults soldiers should be ashamed of themselves.

“The CM of Karnataka said that those who can’t get two meals a day join the Army. Is this not an insult of our jawans? Those who insult the country’s army should be ashamed of themselves,” the PM said at an election rally in Gangavathi.

On Friday, the BJP had accused Kumaraswamy of making the deplorable remark on the jawans at an election rally.

People who don’t have food to eat join Defence: @hd_kumaraswamy

Kumaraswamy avare, people join Defence forces due to the love they have for Nation. Why don’t you send your Son to serve in army instead of contesting for MP seat.

You may then know what it needs to be a soldier. pic.twitter.com/J8vSZl6ZRN

— BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) April 11, 2019

Kumaraswamy shot back saying that the BJP was “upto their old tricks again”.

“They posted another edited video with false interpretation to malign me. I had said that not all who join defence forces are rich. The PM should not play with d lives of jawans to get votes. I never said tat jawans are inthe army just for livelihood,” he tweeted.

#BJP is upto their old tricks again.They posted another edited video with false interpretation to malign me.I had said that not all who join defence forces are rich.The PM shuldnot play with d lives of jawans to get votes.I never said tat jawans are inthe army just for livelihood https://t.co/Xzwkk7Vxya

— H D Kumaraswamy (@hd_kumaraswamy) April 11, 2019

But the PM said that Kumaraswamy cannot escape by saying that “statement has been wrongly interpreted”.

“You have said what is in your heart,” Modi said.

“This is the thinking with Congress and JD(S) and their mahamilavati dal ((adulterated group). They don’t give importance to the country’s security,” the Prime Minister said.

The PM also took a jibe at the statement of Kumaraswamy’s brother HD Revanna, without naming him, for saying that he will retire from politics if Modi came to power again.

“HD Deve Gowda’s son has said that he will take sanyas if I form government again. Deve Gowda had himself said that he will take sanyas if I come to power in 2014. Did he do that? Will the son do that?” Modi quipped.

Calling the Congress-JD(S) government a “20 per cent government”, PM Modi said that the parties are connected to their own families and disconnected from the people.

“They are not concerned about your needs. Their priority is self and family’s need. And what is their mission? Commission,” the PM said.

“When there was Congress government, there was Mr 10 per cent. Do you remember Mr 10 per cent? Now they have joined together 10 per cent is theirs and other 10 per cent of others. Now Karnataka is going on with 20 per cent,” he said.

In his campaign during the May 2018 assembly polls, Modi had attacked the then Siddaramaiah dispensation as a “10 per cent commission government”.

“They have money for Sultan’s utsav, but have shortage of money to remember Hampis pride,” Modi, said referring to the state government’s controversial celebrations of ‘Tipu Jayanti’ on 10 November every year in memory of Tipu Sultan, the 18th century ruler of the erstwhile Mysore kingdom.

Modi also asserted there was a wave across the country for the return of the BJP-led NDA government in the Lok Sabha polls, which was between “Rashtravad (nationalism) and Pariwarvad (dynasty).”

Modi stopped his speech four or five times as the crowds continued to swell and surged forward chanting “Modi, Modi.”

The BJP is targeting to win 22 of the 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka, riding on what it perceives as a ‘Modi wave’.

BJP is also hoping to cash in on mutual hostility between the ruling coalition partners at the grassroot level in several constituencies. The BJP won 17 seats in the 2014 polls.