Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in Karnataka ahead of the state elections, accused the Gandhis of insulting one of the state's tallest leaders, Mallikarjun Kharge, who currently heads the Congress. "I want to remind people how the Congress hates Karnataka... insulting the state's leaders is part of its old culture," PM Modi said at Karnataka's Belagavi, where he released the 13th instalment of over Rs 16,000 crore for farmers. Assembly elections are due in Karnataka later this year. For the Congress, Mr Kharge is just a figurehead, "for name's sake", the Prime Minister said, asserting that "everyone knows who holds the remote control".