Congress must aim for at least 150 seats in Karnataka: Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said there is a strong undercurrent in favour of Congress in poll-bound Karnataka but pressed on his leaders to ensure that the party wins at least 150 seats so that the next government is not "stolen" by a corrupt BJP.

He also reminded everyone that people in the party have a duty to defend the idea of India from the RSS and BJP amid hatred, violence and attacks on the country's institutions.

The Congress leader arrived in Karnataka on a two-day event to take part in a series of events in Kolar, Bengaluru and Bidar before flying back to Delhi.

"Most of us are aware of what the BJP is doing to the nation in terms of hatred and violence, the attack on institutions. These are the things that are visible to everybody," Gandhi said after inaugurating Indira Gandhi Bhavan.

Dwelling on his party's prospects in the May 10 Karnataka Assembly election, he said: "We are facing an election now in Karnataka and I am quite happy to see that there is a very