After Veerappa Moily's tweet, K'taka Cong asks son to explain within 7 days

Bengaluru: Days after senior Congress leader M Veerappa Moily stoked controversy with a tweet that accused PWD Minister Dr HC Mahadevappa of being part of a ‘nexus’ involving road contractors ahead of the Assembly elections, the state Congress has asked his son, Harsha Moily to explain within a week.

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) has also issued a notice to Harsha Moily.

Veerappa Moily, who is the Congress party's manifesto committee chairman, allegedly tweeted, "INC needs to solve money in politics. We can't afford to have road contractors and their nexus with the state PWD minister determine how candidates are selected for the upcoming Assembly elections."

The same tweet was posted on Moily's son Harsha's unverified Twitter handle too.

Later, the tweet was deleted from both the accounts.

However, the former Union minister told reporters in New Delhi that the tweet sent by somebody else, and that he had nothing to do with it.

Sources said however that the tweet followed a falling out between the senior leaders over denying Harsha Moily a chance to stand for elections from the Karkala constituency.

Moily has already denied the tweet saying, “That Twitter account is not in my control. It's not an appropriate tweet. I'm withdrawing it.”

Asked if his Twitter account was hacked, he said, “I won't say that but even then it's not proper. It's unfortunate. It shouldn't have come. I haven't done it. Somebody else has done it. I don't want to go public on party matters.”

With the elections due in Karnataka by May this year, the opposition BJP has repeatedly attacked the Congress over the issue of corruption.