The Federation of Various Dalit Associations and Organisations has urged the State government to immediately stop issuing ‘Beda Jangama caste certificates to the Veerashaiva Jangamas and book criminal cases against those who have obtained the certificates by submitting false documents.
Addressing presspersons in Hubballi on Monday, convenors of the Vividha Dalit Sangha Samsthegala Mahamandala Gurunath Ullikashi, Premanath Chikkatumbal and others said that members of Veerashaiva Jangama community are bringing pressure on the authorities to issue them certificates terming them as belonging to Beda Jangama community that has been included under Scheduled Castes.
What was even worse is that members of the families of BJP leaders Mahanthesh Kavatagimath and M.P. Renukacharya, who belonged to Veerashaiva Lingayat community, have secured the Beda Jangama or Budka Jangama certificates by bringing pressure to bear on officials, they said.
Mr. Gurunath Ullikashi said that it has been historically documented that Beda Jangama community is basically from Andhra Pradesh and during Reorganisation of States, eight families came to Karnataka and settled down.
“When the Havanur Commission wanted to include a few families of Beda Jangama community residing in Hyderabad Karnatak under Scheduled Castes, members of the Jangama community staged a protest saying that they belong to Veerashaiva LIngayat community. However, in the interest of those eight families of the backward community residing in Bidar, Raichur and Kalaburagi districts, the commission included them under Scheduled Castes. Now, the same point is being misused by the members of Veerashaiva Lingayat community to claim reservation under Scheduled Castes category,” he said.
Mr. Premanath Chikkatumbal said that the Jangamas belonging to Veerashaiva Lingayat community are now trying to snatch reservation of Dalits by fraudulently getting Beda Jangama certificates. They have been emboldened by the silence of the members of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes against the over 10% reservation given to upper classes, particularly Brahmins, he said.
Both Mr. Ullikasi and Chikkatumbal and other convenors demanded that the State government should immediately release the findings of the caste census carried out during the previous government and take steps to increase reservation based on the population of the respective communities.
The State government should also book criminal cases against all those who have fraudulently secured Beda Jangama certificates from officials, they demanded.
The mahamandala will also urge the State government to conduct an ethnographic study of the communities that are demanding reservation in the State. If the State government fails to take the requisite steps, then the mahamandhala will be forced to launch a State-wide agitation, they warned.
