The Congress leadership appeared confident on Wednesday of sailing through the crisis that the Karnataka government had hurtled into, claiming that the BJP’s “very serious” topple attempt had failed.

Congress sources said a fierce counter-offensive was launched in time to foil the operation. They admitted resentment within the coalition and failure to stamp out the fire promptly had allowed the BJP to step in, but said the situation was under control now.

A senior leader told The Telegraph: “What made the BJP’s task easier is the change of plan. Initially they wanted to form their own government in Karnataka, which is almost impossible. They now only want to pull down our government before the parliamentary election, which is a much easier task. Some of our MLAs were upset and the Independents too withdrew their support but we have salvaged the situation.”

In its official reaction, too, the party asserted its government was safe.

Senior Karnataka leader Mallikarjun Kharge blasted the BJP for “Operation Lotus” to topple the Congress-Janata Dal Secular government.

“The Narendra Modi government is terrorising MLAs using central agencies like CBI, ED, Income Tax. The atmosphere of fear and instability is created to ensure that the government fell. But all our MLAs, both from the Congress and JDS are intact, supporting the government,” Kharge said.

“They tried these tricks, by terrorising our MLAs and luring them with money, in the past but did not succeed. Now they are telling our MLAs 11 have already come and one or two more are required. These are all lies, false claims, to create a sense of instability. The BJP has done this in Goa, Manipur, Arunachal and Uttarakhand. We appeal to the people to see how the BJP is destabilising elected governments,” he added.

Announcing that a Congress Legislature Party meeting will be held in Bangalore where all the MLAs will be present, Kharge asked: “If the BJP is so strong as to pull down our government, why are they so scared and hiding their own MLAs in a Delhi hotel?” The BJP has drawn much criticism for putting up over 100 MLAs in a five-star hotel where room tariff is Rs 30,000 per night.

Congress leaders in Bangalore said the legislature party meeting would be held on Friday afternoon.

Three Congress MLAs are believed to be “missing”.

The chairman of the coalition coordination committee and former chief minister P.C. Siddaramaiah said: “They (the BJP) have been doing this for the last six months.”

PTI quoted Karnataka deputy chief minister G. Parameshwara as saying the BJP plot was aimed at the 2019 election. “When we took oath, the ceremony was attended by most of the non-BJP friends and leaders. That was a kind of Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance)…. Now if these two parties are not successful, the alliance is not successful in Karnataka, the message would be that yes this (grand) alliance is going to fail,” he said.

The BJP countered the charges, with its state general secretary C.T. Ravi saying: “The sole cause of whatever is happening now is the unnatural alliance.”