Karnataka ministers, Mr G. Janardhan Reddy and Mr G. Karuanakar Reddy, under pressure over allegations of illegal mining, on Sunday paid an unscheduled visit here and met senior BJP leader, Ms Sushma Swaraj and the Chief Minister, Mr B.S. Yeddyurappa, after which they dismissed all the charges against them.
The meeting between the Reddy brothers and Ms Swaraj, who is considered close to them, as also the Chief Minister at the Karnataka Bhawan here came a day after Mr Yeddyurappa held a series of meetings with the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, the home minister, Mr P. Chidambaram, the senior BJP leader, Mr L.K. Advani and party chief, Mr Nitin Gadkari.
Mr Janardhan Reddy, the tourism minister, said he and Mr Karunakar, the revenue minister, apprised Swaraj of all the developments.
"We have explained in detail to Ms Swaraj and she has come to know about every detail and what the Congress strategy is", Mr Janardhan Reddy told reporters after the meeting.
"There is nothing in the allegations levelled by Congress. Congress has lost its image. For nothing, they are fighting. Whatever the Congress strategy is, it will fail", he said.
Asked about suport from the Chief Minister, Mr Janardhan said "we are all fighting togehter against Congress. We are all honest BJP workers".
He said he and his brother would hold a press conference in Bengaluru on Monday to respond to allegations by Congress against them.
The BJP leadership is caught in the horns of dilemma of saving its government in Karnataka and at the same time ensuring that its image, in the face of the charges made against the Reddy brothers, does not take a beating.
Advani has asked the Karnataka party unit to make all efforts to save its first government in the South in case the party has to act against Janardhan Reddy and Karunakar Reddy in the wake of stepped up opposition to their continuance in government.