File photo of Narendra Modi.
The Congress is married to corruption, BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi said on Tuesday as he addressed election rallies in Karnataka and Kerala.
Modi also slammed the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) and its rival Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala, saying there was an "unwritten agreement" between the two coalitions.
"Corruption and loot seems to be in the DNA of the Congress," the Gujarat Chief Minister told a rally in Mysore.
Modi addressed five rallies through the day in Mysore, Koppal, Bangalore and Bagalkot in Karnataka and one at Kasargod in Kerala.
Modi said the Congress would suffer heavily in the staggered Lok Sabha election that began on Monday.
"The public is in a mood to teach the Congress a lesson," he said in Congress-ruled Karnataka.
The BJP leader tore into the claims of the UPA over its flagship programme MNREGA, saying it had only "filled the pockets of Congress".
Speaking at Kasargod of Kerala, Modi said LDF and UDF were silent on each other's wrongdoings.
"They have an unwritten agreement... UDF comes to power for five years, then the LDF comes to power for five years... The game goes on."
He alleged that faulty politics in Kerala were turning the state into a breeding ground for Islamist forces.
"The land of tourism is getting converted into a nursery of terrorism. It was considered a peaceful state but this is changing due to the UDF and LDF."
Modi raked up the issue of two fishermen from Kerala who were killed by Italian marines.
"The government did nothing. I have a question: in which jail are the Italian marines?"
And in an attack on AK Antony, who is from Kerala, Modi said Indian defence forces had not acquired the best equipment during the time when he (Antony) has been the Defence Minister.
He said that Congress-ruled states were unsafe for women.
In Bangalore, Modi gave former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee credit for India's IT boom.
Referring to Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, Modi said: "The 'shehzada' said my father (late Rajiv Gandhi) brought the IT revolution... The truth is Atalji got the IT Act.
"Is it not true that during NDA time, software export growth was over 40 per cent but in UPA I, it became 30 per cent, and in UPA II it is 9 per cent?"