The Congress, which could be a crucial player in Karnataka given the bitter row between coalition partners Janata Dal-Secular and the Bharatiya Janata Party, on Friday demanded a trial of strength in the Assembly within two days to prevent horse-trading.

The demand was made by All India Congress Committee media department chairperson M Veerappa Moily, who told PTI that the political crisis in the state showed that the Kumaraswamy government does not have the numbers.

He alleged that BJP leader Yashwant Sinha's reported statement in the matter was an "open invitation" to defectors, which could lead to "lot of horse-trading and use of money power."

Moily said the governor should not give more than a day or two to the government to prove its majority to avoid manipulation.

He said already the name of Karnataka and its culture have been sullied by the political developments.

The Congress appears to be making the most of the ticklish situation in the southern state by declaring that it has kept all options open ahead of a possible trust vote.

At the same time, the AICC has also demanded that the Kumaraswamy government should be restrained from taking all major decisions "as it has forfeited all support and all right to rule."

Party spokesman Abhishek Singhvi's refrain at the AICC briefing was "nothing can be ruled out and nothing can be agreed" to a volley of questions on Congress strategy ahead of a trust vote amid moves for such a vote.