No stand on Lingayats demand for separate religion status: Siddaramaiah

Bengaluru, Oct 6 (PTI) Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday clarified that he has no stand regarding the demand for a separate religion status by the Lingayat community, even as opposition BJP alleged that an attempt was on to divide the Hindu religion and society.

The CM's statement came a day after the 'Basava Culture Campaign-2025' organised by "Lingayat Matadeeshara Okkoota" (federation of Lingayat seers), adopting resolutions at the valedictory function, which included raising awareness about religious recognition for Lingayats.

"I have no stand. The stand of the people is my stand. We will write what they (people from the Lingayat community) say their religion is, during the survey (caste census that is underway)," Siddaramaiah told reporters in Koppal in response to a question about his stand on the Lingayat community's demand for a separate religion status.

To a question on the Lingayat issue resurfacing, he said, "The issue has always remained there. Some Virakta math swamijis are demanding for it." Karnataka BJP president B Y Vijayendra, without naming anyone, said that the demand for a separate religion status for Lingayat has resurfaced, and the people know who are behind it.

"We need to protect the Hindu religion amid attempts to divide the religion. We need to unify the society and do justice to all communities. I don't understand why the chief minister is in such a hurry....Some forces are trying to divide the society and Hindu religion. Earlier too there were such attempts, they were not successful and in the future too they won't be successful," he said.

There has been resentment against the alleged attempts to project --Lingayats and Veerashaivas-- as different.

The Lingayat/Veerashaiva community that owes allegiance to the "social reform movement" initiated by Basaveshwara in the 12th century, has a substantial population in Karnataka, especially in the northern parts of the state.

Veerashaiva seers and the representatives of the Akhila Bharata Veerashaiva Mahasabha, the apex body of the community, were allegedly kept out of the Sunday event, which was attended by Siddaramaiah, and ministers from Lingayat community -- M B Patil, Sharan Prakash Patil, Laxmi Hebbalkar among others.

Minister Eshwar Khandre, who is also part of the Veerashaiva Mahasabha speaking to reporters here, said, Lingayats and Veersahaivas are the same, and several stalwarts of the community, including the late Shivakumara swamiji had concluded that Veerashaiva and Lingayats are synonyms and they are not different from each other.

He said the Mahasabha will continue its demand for a separate religion status for Veerashaiva-Lingayats as given to Buddhists, Sikhs and Jains.

Minister M B Patil, who is a Lingayat leader, said, "We are Indians first. Geographically, we are all Hindus. But Lingayats are a religion like other Indic religions -- Buddhists, Jains, and Sikhs." Asked about Veerashaiva Mahasabha being kept away from the Sunday's event, he said, "the event was organised by the federation of Lingayat seers and they did not invite anyone with a dual stand. They had invited those who are straight in favour of Basavanna and his philosophy." He, however, said, "Veershaivas have now come half way by supporting the separate religion cause." Separate religion status issue is largely believed to have cost Congress party dear in the 2018 assembly polls.

The then Siddaramaiah-led Congress government's decision to recommend to the Centre to accord 'religious minority' status on the Lingayat community had resulted in electoral losses for the party in the polls.

Along with Congress facing losses in the Lingayat-dominated constituencies, most of its leaders who were actively involved in the 'separate Lingayat religion' movement then, had suffered defeat.

The move was also seen as an attempt to divide the community itself, as a section expressed resentment over projecting Veerashaivas and Lingayats as the same.

While one section led by Akhila Bharata Veerashaiva Mahasabha had demanded separate religion status, asserting that Veerashaiva and Lingayats are the same, the other group wanted it only for Lingayats as they believe that Veerashaiva is one among the seven sects of Shaivas, which is part of Hinduism. PTI KSU KH