Bengaluru : The Congress on Thursday slammed the BJP for giving Karnataka assembly bypoll tickets to disqualified MLAs, saying it has shown the party’s “naked lust for power”, and “unprincipled and opportunistic” face.

“By giving tickets to all disqualified MLAs they (BJP) have done what we had been anticipating all along. People in Karnataka will give a befitting reply to the deceitful stand taken by the BJP through the ballot,” Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal said in a statement.

The BJP’s decision to give tickets to disqualified Congress and JD(S) MLAs tickets has proved that it orchestrated “horse-trading” in Karnataka by promising “enormous money and posts” to the defectors.

The BJP has lost all moral rights to speak about political morality and righteousness, he said.

“The naked lust for power has unveiled the treachery of the BJP…” he added.

All 16 disqualified Congress-JD(S) legislators joined the BJP and the party fielded 13 of them as its candidates for the December 5 assembly bypolls.