Bengaluru, June 30: Former chief minister BS Yeddyurappa has asked the BJP cadres in Karnataka to reach out to the dissident legislators of Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) with the aim of bringing them to the saffron fold.

"If you( party workers) feel that any leader from any party believes in the BJP ideology and wants to shift to BJP, then I advise you to approach them. Even go to their homes if necessary, to help them join the party," Yeddyurappa said.

The Lingayat strongman, whose last tenure as the CM lasted for less than 48 hours, said he is still hopeful of forming the government in the state. He, however, stressed that the BJP would not be indulging in any illicit means to bring down the government led by HD Kumaraswamy.

"The opportunistic alliance between the Congress and JD(S) would wither away on its own. The government is unstable and does not enjoy the mandate of the people," Yeddyurappa added.

The 75-year-old also praised the "presence of mind" of Siddaramaiah, his arch-rival and former CM of Karnataka. "Even he is realising the fallacy of being with the Congress," Yeddyurappa said.

His remarks comes in the backdrop of reports which suggest Siddaramaiah's dissidence against his own party ranks for excluding him from the government. Notably, the 69-year-old, who switched sides from the JD(S) to Congress in 2007, has not been granted any portfolio in the Kumaraswamy-led government.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 30, 2018 02:58 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).