Lingayat leaders had forced me to recommend for religious status: Siddaramaiah

Bengaluru, Dec 10: Former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has said he was prodded by Lingayat leaders to recommend reservation for them and that his government's recommendation to the centre to grant religious minority status had led to opposition unleashing false propangda against him.

The Lingayat sect was founded by 12th century social reformer Basaveshwara, whose belief revolved around social justice, benevolence and piety instead of orthodoxical rituals and castism prevailing during his time.

"When I was the Chief Minister, seers following Basaveshwaras philosophy insisted that I give the religion tag to the Lingayat sect. It was they who persuaded me," he said.

Recollecting how Buddhism and various sects emerged to give social justice to the downtrodden, Mr Siddaramaiah recalled how the movement to recommend grant of religion tag to Lingayats gained momentum ahead of the May 2018 assembly polls.

He said the head of the Lingayat and Veerashaiva sects had demanded that the new religion be named either Lingayat or Veerashaiva.

As a middle path suggested by prominent Congress leader Shamanur Shivashankarappa and endorsed by other Lingayat leaders, it was decided the new sect be known as Lingayat Veerashaiva sect, who have faith in Basaveshwara.

"What was wrong in that? What was my mistake? But that led to false propaganda against me (by the BJP) That's the reason that I am very careful while talking about religion," he said.

The state cabinet had on March 19 decided to recommend to the centre grant of religious minority tag for the Lingayat and Veerashaiva Lingayat community.

The decision was based on the report of an expert committee that had recommended considering grant of recognition as religious minority to the Lingayat and Veerashaiva Lingayats.

Subsequently, the Karnataka minorities welfare department notified the Lingayats and Veerashaiva Lingayats as a religious minority, but said it would come into effect after the centre's approval to the state recommendation.