The Congress on Monday asked the BJP’s chief ministerial candidate in Karnataka B.S. Yeddyurappa and party president Amit Shah to clarify their stand on the issue of granting religious minority status to the Lingayat community.
Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said that the decision should not be linked to the impending elections in Karnataka alone.
Mr. Yeddyurappa is a Lingayat himself but the BJP will have to tread cautiously on the question of treating them as a religious minority as it may offend other groups.
“The demand has been raised for long, and only after examining all the aspects, the Karnataka government has decided on recommending Lingayats as a religious minority. We dare the BJP to come out with their stand. Let Mr Yeddyruppa clarify whether or not he supports the move,” Mr. Surjewala said.
The Congress has been accused of playing the religious card just before the elections not just to buy political favour with the Lingayat community but also put the BJP in a sport of bother.
Followers of the 12th century reformer Basaveshwara, Lingayats are seen to be distinct sect who don’t follow the traditional Hindu rituals even though they worship Lord Shiva.Considered to be politically one of the most powerful community, Lingayats can influence the elections in as many as 100 seats out of the 225 in Karnataka.
The Karnataka decisions also comes just a day before Congress president Rahul Gandhi starts his next leg of Karnataka campaign on Tuesday where he will be visiting a church, a dargah and the renowned Gokarnanatheshwara temple in Mangalore.
Playing down the charges of using religion in its bid to retain Karnataka, Mr. Surjewala said a similar demand was made by the Jain community as well and in January 2014, the then UPA government had accorded them minority status.
“There were some who were of the view that the Jain community is part of the Agrawal samaj (a trading community in North India) but then the Jain community insisted that they had a distinct identity. But after examing all the issues involved, the then UPA government had gone recognised them as a minority group,”he said.
