Sharpening his attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Karnataka, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Friday accused it of having created a “world record” in corruption.

Addressing a rally in Haveri in Karnataka on the second leg of his tour for the May 5 assembly polls, Gandhi said the BJP talked about corruption at the centre, but "corruption in the state did not come to their attention”.

“On the issue of corruption, Karnataka government has created a world record," Gandhi said, targeting the BJP mainly on the corruption plank as he did on the first leg of his tour on April 23. The ruling BJP forgot about people's welfare, was involved in mutual squabbles, and its leaders fought for money, Gandhi alleged. "Do you want such a government?" he asked the crowd.

Gandhi also claimed that in the 2008 assembly polls, BJP assumed office using the money power of the "Bellary brothers", apparently referring to mining barons Janardhana Reddy and Karunakara Reddy. He alleged that they exploited iron ore resources and exported it to China, enriching themselves and thereby becoming influential.

"It was the Bellary government, not BJP government," he said.

The Amethi MP, seen by many as the Congress party’s PM candidate in the next general elections, also said Bangalore was a world brand because of the IT sector but in the last eight to nine years, the earlier BJP-JDS coalition and the current BJP rule had seen the city lose its supremacy. Vital sectors like irrigation, agriculture, power and labour had been neglected during their rule, he said.