Amid clamour for reservation by various communities in the poll-bound Karnataka, the Lingayats have revived their demand for a separate religion, with various organisations planning to stage a protest at Freedom Park in Bengaluru on February 20.
Channabasavananda Swami, honorary president of the Akhila Bharat Lingayata Samanvaya Samiti, on Saturday, said they would vote for the party that submits a recommendation to the Centre, according a separate religious status for the Lingayat community.
Swami said the previous Siddaramaiah-led Congress government had sent a recommendation to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Union government on the independent religion status but it was sent back by the Centre. “Now, since there is a BJP government at the state and the Centre, we want chief minister Basavaraj Bommai to send the recommendation again to the Centre and get the approval. We are holding a satyagraha in this regard,” he said.
Swami said representatives and members of 48 organisations will participate in the protest.
“Supreme Court has said that Hinduism is not a religion, but a lifestyle. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also said this. Sikhism is a separate religion with a history of about 500 years. When Jains also have a separate religion, why should the Lingayat community with a history of 900 years not have a separate religion?” the seer asked.
“Basavanna should be declared as the cultural leader of Karnataka. Kalaburgi University should be renamed as Basaveshwara University,” Swami said, warning that millions of Lingayats will have to show their strength if the government does not respond to their demands.
The seer said that Lingayat organisations would vote for the political party that comes forward to support the demand. “Be it the BJP, Congress, JD(S), AAP, SDPI, AIMIM or any party. If their leaders support our cause, we will vote for them,” Channabasavananda Swami said, inviting all religious leaders, followers of Basavanna and various organisations, to participate in the agitation.
This comes in the backdrop of the state government, carving out two new categories for Lingayats and Vokkaligas, 2C and 2D, whose reservation demands will be met by out of a portion of the 10% Economically Weaker Section (EWS) quota.
The government had said that the Vokkaligas, who come under the 3A category, would be placed under 2C. The Veerashaiva-Lingayats, under 3B now, will be put in 2D. The existing 3A and 3B categories will be done away with.
However, the Panchamasali Lingayats, a sub-sect of the community who have been agitating for the 15% quota under the OBC 2A category, rejected the offer of chief minister Bommai, and warned of consequences in the upcoming Assembly elections.
Meanwhile, political analyst Chambi Puranik said the BJP will not take such divisive approach, and the probability is not in favour dividing the community. “The BJP will adjust that in the excess 10% EWS quota to pacify the Lingayats. They will give it to both Veerashaivas and Panchamsalis. In the internal reservation, depending on the majority of people, Panchamsalis might get a larger share. The probability is not in favour of dividing the Lingayats,” Puranik said.
Knowing very well that it is a party that stands for Hindus, and Lingayats are also part of the Hindutva tradition, the BJP knows the ground reality, Puranik pointed out. “Secondly, the BJP high command knows the ground reality and would not want to go against the sentiments of majority of Lingayats, the base votes of the party. Without the Lingayats’ support, the BJP cannot remain in power and that has been proven also. Although they know that B. S. Yediyurappa (former chief minister and Lingayat strongman) is not the CM candidate, because he is strongly behind all groups of Lingayats, the party would like to preserve it,” Puranik added.
Former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah’s decision to separate Lingayats from Veerashaivas by proposing a Lingayat religion was seen as an effort to woo the support of the dominant community away from the BJP, however, the Congress received a backlash from the community and the party’s defeat in the 2018 assembly elections was partly attributed to this.
