Two senior BJP leaders in Karnataka have boasted that several Congress MLAs could be weaned away at the drop of a hat.

The claim has come at a time the Yediyurappa government is facing dissidence from a powerful group of BJP legislators.

Deputy chief minister Laxman Savadi claimed that the Congress lawmakers were ready to join the BJP at any time.

In an interaction with reporters in Haveri in north Karnataka on Friday, Savadi said: “We can bring them any time but it’s up to our central leadership whether to accommodate them in our party.”

Water resources minister Ramesh Jarkiholi echoed Savadi. “I know 22 Congress MLAs are in touch with him (Savadi) and if our party gives the nod, we will get at least five of them resign this week,” said Jarkiholi.

Jarkiholi had led the rebellion in July last year when 17 lawmakers from the Congress and the Janata Dal Secular switched sides, leading to the collapse of the coalition government.

Of late, a group of Lingayat lawmakers have been keeping the BJP on toes.

Senior BJP lawmaker Umesh Katti had hosted a lunch on Thursday for 27 of his party lawmakers, most of them from the influential Lingayat community that chief minister B.S. Yediyurappa belongs to.

BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal told a channel that “Yediyurappa is only our chief minister as (Narendra) Modi, (Amit) Shah, and (JP) Nadda are our real leaders.”

In the Assembly of 225, BJP has 117 seats, including the speaker, the Congress 68 and the JDS 34. Two MLAs are Independents and one is from the Bahujan Samaj Party while there is a nominated member. The House has two vacancies.

State Congress spokesman V.S. Ugrappa slammed the two BJP ministers for bragging they would break the Congress.

The BJP has not commented on the claims made by its ministers.