A day after the State Cabinet decided to recommend granting ‘religious minority’ status to Lingayats and Veershaiva-Lingayats (believers of Basava tatva), the controversy over the issue escalated with Akhila Bharata Veerashaiva Mahasabha national president Shamanur Shivashankarappa taking a U-turn.
Mr. Shivashankarappa, who is also a Congress MLA and a former Minister, had welcomed the Cabinet decision on Monday evening. On Tuesday, he termed it the “height of injustice”.
In a hurriedly called press meet, after a meeting with various seers in Davangere, Mr. Shivashankarappa said the Mahasabha would not agree with the decision. Clarifying that his press conference on Monday was based on the points about the Cabinet meeting made available to him at that point, he said an attempt has been made to make it appear that Veerashaivas never existed before the 12th century. “A meeting of the Veerashaiva Mahasabha will be convened in Bengaluru on March 23 and the further course of action will be chalked out.”
Mutt welcomes move
Meanwhile, Siddaganga Mutt president and hunior seer Siddalinga Swami has welcomed the Cabinet’s decision.
Sri Siddalinga Swami told presspersons in Tumakuru said that the decision would help people belonging to Lingayat and Veerashaiva-Lingayat community to get facilities in different fields, including education. “Our desire is to take all the people of Veerashaiva-Lingayat and Lingayat together. And it is good that both Veerashaiva-Lingayats and Lingayats have been recommended for minority status,” he said. The seer also maintained that the Hindu religion would not be affected by this move. “Hinduism is a vast religion. It is not possible to divide it,” he said.
