S.M. Jamdar, former IAS officer and leader of the Jagatika Lingayat Mahasabha, which spearheaded the movement demanding a minority religious tag for Lingayats, on Sunday said the Mahasabha had not divided Hinduism as alleged by BJP president Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Addressing presspersons here, Mr. Jamdar said it was not right to project the Mahasabha as anti-Hindu. “The BJP leaders have been making efforts to give a bad name to the organisation by projecting it as the anti-Hindu,” he said. Noting that the Lingayat community was now part of Hinduism for several centuries, he said the question of division does not arise. The Mahasabha has not treated Veerashaivas differently while seeking separate minority religious tag, the former IAS officer added.
He said the Mahasabha would take steps to strengthen its activities by increasing membership in all districts of the State.
The organisation spearheaded the movement for separate religious minority status for Lingayats and voted for the party that backed its demand in the 2018 Assembly elections, he said.
The Mahasabha on Sunday conducted a meeting of all district office-bearers and chalked out plans for increasing its activities in the interest of the community, Mr. Jamdar said.
