Vokkaliga-Lingayat tussle takes a turn for the worse

Bengaluru: The tussle between the two dominant communities in Karnataka-the Vokkaligas and Lingayats-is set to assume serious overtones with members of the Vokkaliga community planning a massive protest in support of Congress strongman D.K. Shivakumar on Wednesday.

The protest, which has the backing of the Congress party, could give a lot of  political mileage to Mr Shivakumar who has made no secret of his ambition to become CM and also reveals the Vokkaliga community's growing  dissatisfaction with a government run by a Lingayat CM and dominated by leaders of that community.

Vokkaliga leaders cutting across party lines feel the BJP central leadership is responsible for the present scenario with both Congress and JD(S) leaders belonging to the community likely to take part in the protest. Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, a senior JD(S) leader  said the Vokkaliga community is seething with anger and looking for an opportunity to regroup itself. "It is not just Mr Shivakumar's arrest which has angered Vokkaligas, the manner in which he was treated has also raised their hackles especially the ED's refusal to allow him to offer pooja to his ancestors after he went to Delhi."

There are other issues which have annoyed the community; like the alleged hounding of former external affairs minister, S.M. Krishna's son-in-law and CCD owner, VG. Siddhartha by central government agencies which they claim drove him to commit suicide. Not to mention  the toppling of  the coalition government run by a Vokkaliga CM H.D. Kumaraswamy and his replacement with a Lingayat veteran.

"The Congress party will reap the benefit from this. We have permanently lost the Lingayat vote base - firstly because of the unceremonious removal of then CM, Veerendra Patil and secondly, our party's decision to back  a campaign to accord separate religion status to the Veerashaiva-Lingayat community almost two years ago. We cannot afford to lose another powerful community - the Vokkaligas- in the state," the source contended.

The source added that Mr Shivakumar's stocks have certainly gone up for now and the party needs to sustain the momentum to counter the BJP which has been desperately trying to make inroads in the Vokkaliga dominated Old Mysuru region.