Congress leader and Akhila Bharatha Veerashaiva Mahasabha president Shamanur Shivashankarappa on Tuesday refused to accept the decision of the Karnataka Government on giving separate religion status to the Lingayats community.
Shivashankarappa said that injustice has been done to Veerashaiva Lingayat, adding that they would not have opposed their decision if it would have been taken rightly.
"We would not accept the decision. It will be discussed in a meeting called by us on March 23. Yesterday's decision is one-sided and we stick to our stand that Veerashaiva and Lingayat are one and the same," he said.
Earlier on Monday, the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah-led Karnataka Government accepted the suggestions of Nagamohan Das committee to form a separate religion status of the Lingayats community.
The decision came just a few months before the state assembly elections.
The suggestion, which has been accepted under section 2D of the state Minorities Commission Act will now be sent to the Centre for the final approval.
A seven-member Nagamohan Das committee, headed by retired high court Judge H N Nagamohan Das, submitted its report on March 2, 2018, stating, "Lingayats in Karnataka may be considered as a religious minority."
The Lingayats, also known as the Veerashaiva community, owes loyalty to the social reform movement of the 12th century initiated by Basaveshwara has a considerable population in the northern part of the Karnataka.
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