A day after the Karnataka government issued a notification recognising Lingayat and Veerashaiva Lingayats—who follow Basava's ideals—as a minority community, the World Lingayat Mahasabha stoked a fresh controversy, by claiming they would go it alone, in their fight for separate religion status and not tag along with the Veerashaivas.
“Lingayats are in no way linked to the Veerashaiva Mahasabha. If the Centre does not accept the state's appeal, we will launch an aggressive protest,” warned former bureaucrat and general secretary of World Lingayat Mahasabha S.M. Jamdar, during a press meet in Bengaluru on Saturday.
The Lingayat Mahasabha urged all Lingayats who are part of the Veerashaiva Mahasabha to quit and join them.
“We will not go along with Panchaacharyas as we have rejected them. But any Veerashaiva who believes in Basava Tatva (ideals) is welcome. The Panchaacharyas must clarify if they are Veerashaivas, Lingayats or dalits,” demanded the Lingayat faction, after the Veerashaiva Mahasabha expressed fears that a minority tag would not extend reservation benefits to the community, unlike other minority communities.
On Friday, the All India Veerashaiva Mahasabha, which held an emergency meeting, had demanded that the Congress government immediately withdraw its decision to accord separate religion status to “Lingayats and Veerashaivas who follow Basavanna's ideals.”
“The minority tag proposed by the state government at present appears not to have significant reservation benefits to the community. The government should provide special funds and all the reservation benefits in education and employment extended to other minor communities,” said Shamnur Shivashankarappa, president of the Mahasabha, who claimed that a similar recommendation sent to the Centre in 2013 was still under review and not rejected.
“We don't differentiate between Veerashaivas and Lingayats or debate over who the founder was. Our only focus is to work towards the unity of our community and not to divide it. We will appeal to the community members not to get misled,” said Shivashankarappa, adding that through a resolution, the Mahasabha would urge both the prime minister and the Union home minister to accord separate religion status to the community.