Karnataka’s Congress government supports religious minority tag for Lingayats

The government of the southern Indian state of Karnataka dropped a socio-political bombshell on March 19. They dominate 100 out of the 224 Assembly seats.

Clashes broke out between members of the Lingayat and Veerashaiva communities in Karnataka’s Kalaburagi city on Monday, hours after the Siddaramaiah government announced it will recommend that the Lingayats be classified as a separate religion.

THe Mahasabha has taken offence to Siddaramaiah’s cabinet decision to accord separate religious identity status to Lingayats and only those Veerashaivas who follow Basavatatva (ideologies of Basavanna- a 12th-century social reformer). Facing a stiff challenge from the BJP, whose leader in the State BS Yeddyurappa too is a Lingayat, the Congress’ move is seen as an attempt to kill two birds with one stone.

Briefing reporters after a cabinet meeting, Law Minister T B Jayachandra said it had accepted the recommendations of an expert panel set up by the state government on the issue.

In a move fraught with major political implications in poll-bound Karnataka, the state cabinet had yesterday made a decision to recommend to the Centre to grant religious minority tag to the dominant Lingayat and Veerashaiva Lingayat community.

Meanwhile, a Union home ministry official on Tuesday said the ministry would examine in detail the Karnataka government’s recommendation to grant religious minority tag to the Lingayat and Veerashaiva community as and when it receives the proposal. The Veershaivaas, on the other hand, are followers of Lord Shiva and also consider themselves as Lingayats.

Reacting to the development, Rambhapuri Mutt pontiff Someshwara Mahaswami denounced state government’s move as a “huge mistake”, saying that Veerashaivas and Lingayats were the same. The effective date of the grant of minority status would be notified after studying the impact on other minority groups, Jayachander said. The latter demanded a religious exclusivity keeping Lingayats in the ambit; the Lingayats refused the dilution of their presence and rather suggested that Veerashaivas could be incorporated in the Lingayat umbrella. The Lingayat community, which has numerous followers, was demanding separate religious status for a long time.

The BJP has said the decision is an effort to create a rift. The state Cabinet meeting okayed the religion based on the suggestions of Nagamohan Das committee and has approached the Centre for the same.

Calling Veershaiva dharma a “very ancient one”, he expressed discontent over yesterday’s cabinet decision. Former BJP chief minister B. “People will teach them a lesson”, he added. This led to an altercation between MS Patil Naribol, the leader of the Veerashaiva demonstrators, and the Lingayats, local new channel Public TV reported.

But they will also get benefits for their educational institutions, like exemption from the Right to Education Act.

Mahasabha and the Siddaganga seer on the issue.