Basavaraj Horatti, a former Minister and the face of the Janata Dal (S) in north Karnataka, is the president of the Jagatika Lingayat Mahasabha, which spearheaded the movement for minority religion status for the Lingayat community. Excerpts from an interview:
Is this fight for religion or for politics?
Definitely, this fight is for religion. And it is religion which has brought people of north Karnataka under one umbrella to fight for a common cause. The fight is also for helping the poor among the community who have been deprived of facilities. For the first time, we saw people who believe in Basavanna’s philosophy come together to demand what is their right. It is wrong to say Chief Minister Siddaramaiah raked up the issue. It was the Lingayats who demanded it, and I, as a Lingayat, initiated the movement along with like-minded leaders. An offshoot of the movement is that it has revived interest in Basavanna’s ideology. But I am against using the issue for politics.
Do you mean to say the issue will not have any impact on polls?
I don’t deny the political ramifications of the Lingayat issue. Whether you believe it or not, the issue will influence how the people, particularly Lingayats, will vote this time. It is wrong to say that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah does not think the Congress will have huge gains because of the Cabinet decision to recommend religious minority status. Although I have not used it for political gains, people of the region know what I have done for the cause and they will vote for my party. But the issue has damaged the BJP’s prospects in the State.
What will be the fate of the issue after the polls?
Whatever may be the results, the Jagatika Lingayat Mahasabha will pursue the case post-polls and take it to the logical end. With the help of scholars and legal experts, we have collected thousands of pages of documents to support our demand for minority status and we will approach the Supreme Court if the Centre fails to concede the demands of the Lingayats.
