Bengaluru, Apr 8: The head of Basava Dharma Peetha at Kudalasangama, Mathe Mahadevi, has openly gave a call to the Lingayat community to back the Congress and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in Karnataka assembly polls as the state government has considered their demand for a separate religion despite widespread opposition.
At the Lingayat Matadhipathigala Vedike’s meeting here, she came down on the BJP, saying that the party president Amit Shah and the RSS were misleading and lying to the people about the community. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi should gift a separate religion status for Lingayat on this Basava Jayanti, celebrated on April 18,” she said. “Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has supported our demand. We will support him,” she told reporters after the meeting.
On the other hand, over 30 other senior Lingayat seers have indirectly backed Congress by resolving to “support those who supported the community’s demand for a separate religion status”.
Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru of Murugha Mutt, Chitradurga, said: “Sahakarakke sahakara (cooperation for cooperation).” However, he did not openly stated that he had resolved to support the Congress in the elections.
“Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his government have recommended to the Centre that Lingayat be granted religious minority status. This is a welcome move. The decision now rests with the Centre. We have to fight till we get the status. We will support those who support us,” he said, refusing to directly state, when asked, if that means they would urge the Lingayats to support the Congress.
On Mathe Mahadevi’s direct call to support the Congress, the seer said: “That is her individual statement. Our movement does not have any political motives. However, we will cooperate with those who cooperated with us.”
Siddalinga Swami of Tontadarya Mutt, Gadag, said the Lingayat Matadhipathigala Vedike would fight till it achieves its goal. “We will approach the Supreme Court if the Centre does not meet our demand. It is now or never for us,” he said.
Amit Shah faces Lingayat wrath
Coming down on the BJP and its national president Amit Shah, who had recently stated that the Centre may not fulfil the demand for a separate religion status for Lingayat immediately, he said, “The BJP won the elections in Uttar Pradesh without the support of Yadavs and in Gujarat without the support of Patels. Similarly, Mr Shah is trying to win elections in Karnataka without the support of Lingayats. We have to be careful about this.”
Regarding Mr. Shah’s statement, the seer said, “That is his personal opinion, not the government’s. We cannot take it seriously. However, we condemn his statement and reject it. We will also meet the Prime Minister shortly to press for our demand.”
Questioning Mr. Shah’s locus standi on making the statement, Jaya Mruthyunjaya Swami of Kudalasangama Mutt asked how Mr. Shah could say that the Karnataka government’s memorandum on the religious minority status would not be approved.
“Is he the President of India or the government of India or the Prime Minister? Is he even a Central Minister or the minority commission’s chairperson? ... How can he make such irresponsible statements?” he sought to know.
“If at all the Centre rejects our demand, we will know that it will be a politically motivated decision taken under Mr. Shah’s influence. It will then become inevitable for us to approach the Supreme Court,” the seer said.
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