Eshwarappa said that when Yediyurappa left the BJP and launched the KJP, he won only three seats.
SHIVAMOGGA: Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister KS Eshwarappa, while criticising Congress Legislative Party leader Siddaramaiah, ended up taking a dig at his own Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, to drive home the point that no leader is bigger than his party. Eshwarappa said that when Yediyurappa left the BJP and launched the KJP, he won only three seats.
“Power is not permanent. Be it me, Siddaramaiah, Yediyurappa or Kumaraswamy, all politicians need the support of parties to rise to power. One should not act like a dictator,” Eshwarappa told reporters here on Saturday. Eshwarappa, who was among the most vocal critics of Yediyurappa when he left the party, remained critical even after Yediyurappa rejoined the BJP. This was apparent again on Saturday.
Eshwarappa also expressed displeasure over allocation of the additional portfolio of youth empowerment and sports, and said he would speak to Yediyurappa whether to take charge of it or not.
Eshwarappa said the Congress was defeated in the Assembly election and performed poorly in the Lok Sabha polls in the state due to the conspiracies of Siddaramaiah. “But when he was chief minister, Siddaramaiah behaved like a dictator. As a result, the Congress is nowhere in the state at present. It’s a lesson for not only Siddaramaiah but all politicians,” Eshwarappa said. “Siddaramaiah planned to form his own party but didn’t succeed. Yediyurappa launched his own party, KJP, but was not successful. Politicians need strong parties.”
Eshwarappa said that though senior Congress leader K H Muniyappa had accused former Speaker Ramesh Kumar of plotting his defeat and demanded his ouster from the party, Siddaramaiah made Ramesh sit next to him and didn’t take any action against him. There should be no support for those who deceive their own parties,” he said.
The minister expressed confidence that disqualified MLAs would get justice in the Supreme Court.
“Ramesh disqualified the MLAs at the behest of Siddaramaiah. Did the apex court ask the then Speaker to disqualify MLAs? No. He accepted the resignation of Chincholi MLA Umesh Jadhav. The same Speaker disqualified MLAs who submitted their resignations. I don’t understand this,” he said.
‘Don’t oppose power project’
Eshwarappa requested environmentalists not to oppose the proposed underground power project in the Sharavathi Valley. “Deforestation is bad, but at the same time, there should also be continuous electricity generation. The project also helps supply electricity to villages in the Sharavathi Valley, so the project should not be opposed,” he said.
