Sri Veera Someshwara Shivacharya Swami, seer of Rambhapuri Peetha, has taken exception to the expert committee set up by the Minorities Commission to look into the demand of religion status for ‘Veerashaiva/Lingayat Dharma’.
The seer, who was in Gadag on Saturday to oversee the preparations for the Veerashaiva/Lingayat convention on Sunday, questioned the rationale behind forming the committee to make recommendations. He sought to know why the government had taken a hasty decision when the Assembly elections were just a few months away.
The seer also asked why the government had not taken the opinion of the Akhil Bharat Veerashaiva Mahasabha, which is a representative body of the Veerashaiva/Lingayat community.
He said the expert committee’s members lack proper knowledge of the principles and ideology of the community.
The seer also alleged that some Ministers in the Congress government were trying to divide the community. He accused Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of supporting their efforts by forming the committee instead of taking action against them.
