"Akhila Bharata Veerashaiva Mahasabha president Shamanur Shivashankarappa has made it clear several times that Veerashiva and Lingayat communities are one. Shivakumara Swamiof Siddaganga Mutt, considered a walking God, has also stated the same," state BJP chief B S Yeddyurappa said.
Speaking to reporters in Davangere, he accused JD(S) leader Basavaraj Horatti, who is at the forefront of a movement demanding separate religion status for Lingayat community, of creating "confusion" out of "selfish" motive by claiming support from BJP legislators.
"BJP legislators and MPs are of one stand i.e. to abide by the decision taken by Akhila Bharata Veerashaiva Mahasabha,Siddaganga Swamiji and other seers," he said.
The demand for a separate religion tag to Veerashaiva/Lingayat faiths has surfaced from the numerically strong and politically-influential community, amidst resentment from within over projecting the two communities as the same.
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Accusing the Congress of playing politics on the issue, Yeddyurappa said the former had taken the stand of "breaking the community".
"We have nothing to do with it. What we are saying is we will abide by the decision taken by Akhila Bharata Veerashaiva Mahasabha," he said.
Recently, the Karnataka State Minorities Commission (KSMC), to which the state government had referred the issue, has formed a seven-member committee, headed by retired high court Judge H N Nagamohan Das, to look into the issue and submit a report in four-weeks time.
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