HUBBALLI: Less than a week after a mammoth rally of Lingayats in Belagavi seeking special religion status, Veerashaivas upped their ante with a show of strength against the special religion tag at Badami in Bagalkot district on Monday.
Denouncing attempts to divide the community by raising the demand for separate religion tag, more than two hundred seers conveyed the message in the convention that Veerashaivas and Lingayats are the same. Contending that it would be impossible to obtain Constitutional status for independent religion, they claimed all efforts being made in this direction would prove futile.
Seers of Pancha Peetas Kashi, Ujjain, Shrishail and Rambhapuri, who were present at the convention, lambasted those within the community who were supporting the demand for a separate religion status. Shantaveer Swamiji of Koladamath, Bengaluru, accused the head of Basava Dharma Peetha Mathe Mahadevi of having betrayed Guru Basavanna by twisting Vachanas penned by him and also by trying to cause division among the community.
More than 25,000 people, who took part in the procession, raised slogans against Lingayat leaders and seers for their attempt to seek separate religion status.
“We should not give attention to the small group of Virakta mutt seers who are demanding separate Lingayat religion. They are trying to create a rift and to break the community. If there has to be a religion, it should be Veerashaiva-Lingayat and not Lingayat alone,” remarked Veerasomeshwara Swamiji of Rambhapuri Math.
Mahantalinga Swamiji of Vibhutipura claimed to have the support of prominent seers of Suttur Math and Siddaganga Math to remain united.
He also said some people in the rival group including IAS officer S M Jamdar were misleading people by spreading false information that both these seers are in favour of separate religion for Lingayats.
On the view that people of Lingayat community would be benefited if they get separate religion status under religious minority tag, the seers questioned how it would be possible when Muslims did not get benefits even after 70 years of Independence as religion minority.
They have sought 12 per cent reservation for the community by creating a separate layer in the existing reservation matrix to uplift the poor and downtrodden people. They also adopted 10 resolutions and resolved that Veerashaiva-Lingayat was an ancient religion and all should join hands to bring unity among the community people. Stating that Lingayat is just an alternative word and Basavanna has never used it in his Vachanas, the seers said that the concept of independent religion was merely an illusion of some people.
