BS Yediyurappa not bigger than party: K S Eshwarappa

SHIVAMOGGA: A day after chief minister BS Yediyurappa allocated the low-profile additional portfolio of youth empowerment and sports to him, rural development and panchayat raj minister K S Eshwarappa said he hasn't decided whether to to accept it. In a dig at Yediyurappa, he said: "No one is bigger than the party."
"Some additional responsibilities have been given to some ministers, including one to me.But I haven't accepted it. I'll discuss with the chief minister and decide,'' he told reporters in Shivamogga. Asked about the recent tiff between senior Congress leaders Siddaramaiah and KH Muniyappa, Eshwarappa said : "Power and position are not permanent. It is applicable to me, Siddaramaiah, Yediyurappa or Kumaraswamy." He added that organisation and party are important for anyone to come to power.
Recalling how Yediyurappa's attempt to form Karnataka Janata Paksha to counter the BJP fell flat, Eshwarappa said no one was above the party and any attempt to destroy it would have a bearing on their political future.
Eshwarappa noted that no one could succeed by crossing their limits and trying to go beyond the party line. "If people in power don't understand this, they will be destroyed, not the party," he added.
"I will not throw stones at Siddaramaiah just because he is out of power. Power is not permanent. How a person was in a party when he was in power is important. Siddaramaiah behaved arrogantly assuming he only brought the party to power. Today, Congress is losing its ground in the state because of this behaviour," he said.