Days after the Bharatiya Janata Party State president and Lingayat leader B.S. Yeddyurappa vociferously opposed the demand to recognise Lingayat as a religion, a team of five Cabinet Ministers belonging to the community have decided to tour the State to gather the opinion of religious heads and other leaders on the contentious issue.
The team comprises Minister for Higher Education Basavaraj Rayaraddi, Minister for Mines and Geology Vinay Kulkarni, Minister for Medical Education Sharanprakash Patil, Minister for Municipal Administration Eshwar B. Khandre, and Horticulture Minister S.S. Mallikarjun.
“Based on the responses, we will submit a memorandum to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to recommend to the Centre to recognise Lingayat as a separate religion,” said Mr. Rayaraddi. He clarified that it was “not an official move of the government”, but all the five Ministers had taken the initiative to get the “much awaited and much delayed” religion status to their community. Mr. Rayaraddi said by getting a separate religion tag, they would get benefits of a minority community.
Lingayats, he said, were spread across Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and other States. “Historically, Lingayat was an independent religion founded by Basavanna in 12th Century and it had never been part of Hinduism. On the contrary, it fought values based on the laws of Manu,” he said.
Reacting to Mr. Yeddyurappa’s statement that there is no difference between Veerashaiva (the old Shaiva faith) and Lingayat (as the followers of Basavanna call themselves) and that they are part of Hinduism, Mr. Rayaraddi said both are part of “an ancient culture” known as Hinduism but not the same religion. “But both are not part of Hindutva ideology, which is being propagated by the Sangh Parivar, especially Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, to which Mr. Yeddyurappa belongs,” he said.
Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism found their separate identity because of the failure of Hinduism, which was primarily about birth-based caste system and superstition, the Minister argued. “Whereas Lingayat philosophy is progressive and scientific, which is why they are demanding separate religion. Mr. Yeddyurappa is an RSS leader, not a leader of Lingayat community as he claims,” he said. Mr. Siddaramaiah, on June 15, promised to look into the demand for a separate religion status and recommend the same to the Centre while participating in a programme organised by the Akhila Bharata Veerashaiva Mahasabha. He had also asked leaders of the sabha to decide whether they wanted it to be called Veerashaiva or Lingayat. On July 20, lakhs of people belonging to the Lingayata community took to the streets in Bidar demanding an independent religion status. During the enumeration for caste census, a section of the community had chosen to describe themselves as a separate religion and not as Hindus.
Special Correspondent from Hubbali adds:
Religious heads should resolve matter: Shettar
Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly Jagadish Shettar said on Monday that he personally believes that Lingayats are part of the Hindu faith, but the issue should be resolved by religious heads of the community through debate and dialogue.
Speaking to The Hindu , he accused Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of creating an “unnecessary controversy” for political gains. He sought to know why the issue was being raked up in the last year of the government being in power. Mr. Shettar said a similar demand forwarded by the Akhila Bharata Veerashaiva Mahasabha was earlier rejected by the UPA government. He admitted that there was difference of opinion on the caste or religious status of the Lingayats.
