Ballari: With the BJP led NDA government reportedly rejecting the demand of Lingayats for separate religion status, a clamour has begun to reunite the Lingayats and Veerashaivas, who have been opposing the religion status, to safeguard the interests of the dominant community in Karnataka.
Veteran Congressman and president of Veerashaiva Mahasabha Shamanur Sivashankarappa welcomed the rejection of the demand and said Lingayats and Veerashaivas should go hand in hand now and achieve their demands. Sources said he will shortly meet AICC president Rahul Gandhi asking him not to press for the religion tag any further as this had backfired on the Congress resulting in the defeat of about 30 candidates in Lingayat dominated Central and north Karnataka.
Meanwhile, secretary of the Lingayat Dharma Horata Samiti, S.M. Jamdar offered a reconciliation formula saying Lingayats will back the Veerashaiva Mahasabha if it is renamed ‘Lingayat Mahasabha’ or ‘Lingayat Veerashaiva Mahasabha.’ He also put forth a condition that JD(S) leader Basavaraj Horatti should be appointed its president and Congress leader M.B. Patil, national vice-president.
Interestingly, the coalition government had kept those who favoured separate religion tag and those who opposed it, out of the cabinet. Among the strong contenders for ministerial berths were Congress leader M.B. Patil and seven-time MLC from the JD(S), Basavaraj Horatti who had led the campaign for religion status.
Both of them were kept out of the ministry and so was Bhalki MLA Eshwar Khandre, national general secretary of the Veerashaiva Mahasabha and former Minister Shamanur Shivashankarappa, who is national president of the Mahasabha. Sources said this might be a tactical move to steer clear of the religion status controversy.
