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Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Tuesday said that it must be clarified whether the Veerashaiva-Lingayat religion and the Lingayat religion are the same or different religions. He stressed that this decision must be made by the community itself.
"First, it must be clarified whether the Veerashaiva-Lingayat religion and the Lingayat religion are the same or different. This decision should be made by the community itself. Lingayats and Veerashaivas keep saying every day that they are different from each other. If this confusion is resolved first, everything else will fall into place," Parameshwara said. He defended Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's remarks at the closing ceremony of the Basava cultural campaign. "The Chief Minister attended the Basava Culture Campaign event because he was invited. But the CM did not speak about any religious matters there. He did not talk about religion or religious issues," Karnataka Home Minister said. His statement comes after Siddaramaiah said, "Caste system is rooted in our society. To uproot this caste system, Basavanna launched a separate religion (Lingayat)." Last month, BJP Karnataka President BY Vijayendra had accused CM Siddaramaiah of attempting to divide Lingayats and Veerashaivas through the caste census, claiming it is designed to divide the Veerashaiva community further. He referred to Siddaramaiah's previous tenure as Chief Minister, during which efforts were made to declare Veerashaiva Lingayat as a separate religion--a move that failed and backfired. Vijayendra alleged that once again, under the pretence of conducting a socio-economic and educational survey, the government is attempting another divisive action against the Veerashaiva Lingayat community. Vijayendra emphasised the need to resolve internal conflicts within the community, unite it, and guide it in the right direction for the welfare of both the community and the state. He proposed discussions with senior leaders of the Veerashaiva Mahasabha, Panch Peethadishwars, and Swamijis of Virakta Mutts, aiming for collective action that transcends sub-group differences. Another BJP leader, Basavaraj Bommai, who was also present during the meeting, launched a sharp attack on Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, saying that he has "no right" to conduct a survey or census. "Siddaramaiah has no right to conduct a survey or census. They are trying to divide all the communities, including the Backwards classes and the Veerashaiva-Lingayat community. This survey should be stopped. Siddaramaiah should stop this exercise to divide the communities...," Bommai told reporters. (ANI)
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