As clamor grows for granting separate religion status to the dominant Veerashaiva-Lingayat community, Karnataka ChiefMinister Siddaramaiah today said he was yet to receive anyrequisition in this regard.
"Requisition has not yet come, how will the recommendation come? I have said if you all (communityleaders) together give a requisition, the government willconsider it," he told reporters in response to aquestion about sending a recommendation to the Union government in this regard.
His comment came at a time when the Akhila Bharata Veerashaiva Mahasabha has said there is no question of going back on the demand for a separate religionstatus.
Stating that the proposal to this effect was made tothen Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde during the UPArule, Mahasabha President and senior Congress MLA Shamanur Shivashankarappa said it did not attain finality as the government fell.
"At a felicitation to the Chief Minister for making it compulsory to have Basaveshwara's photo at Government offices, we had made a request that a separate religion recommendation besent to the central government... He has agreed... There is no question of going back, Veerashaiva-Lingayat as an independentreligion status," he said.
The demand for a separate religion status gained momentum after Siddaramaiah reportedly gave an assurance at an event organized by the Mahasabha that he was ready to recommend to the Centre to make Veerashaiva-Lingayata separate religion status if the entire community evolved aconsensus.
At least five ministers from Karnataka have announced plans to tour the state to gather opinion about separate religion status from community leaders and mutt pontiffs.
Minister for Mines and Geology Vinay Kulkarni alleged that no one, including Karnataka BJP chief B SYeddyurappa, who hails from the community, had taken steps to realise the long standing demand for a separate religion.
"The Chief Minister is taking steps towards it on our request andit is our duty to support him," he said.
"The Chief Minister was in a hurry, we have already requested him. Pontiffs from all mutts will be comingto Bengaluru to convince...," he said when asked about the CM's statement on not yet getting any such requisition.
The Veerashaiva-Lingayat community that pays allegiance tothe 12th century "social reform movement" initiated by Basaveshwara has a substantial population in Karnataka, especially in the northern parts of the state.
They are also present in parts of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Telangana, among others.
Congress' support to separate religion cause aheadof the 2018 assembly polls is seen as an attempt by it to damage the BJP which enjoys considerable support from thecommunity.
BJP state president and former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa hails from the community and is often addressed a "Lingayat strongman".
The BJP and several sections of the Hindu community are opposed to the move to give Veerashaiva-Lingayat separate religion status.
There is also resentment within for projectingLingayats and Veerashaivas as one and the same, as a sectionof Lingayats feel that Veerashaiva is one among the sevensects of Shaivas, which is part of Hinduism.
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