Separate religious tag for Lingayats: Mahasabha sets December 30 deadline

In a poll-bound Karnataka, Lingayats, a prominent vote bank who form a sizeable population have demanded a separate religious status that would axe them from Hindutva

The demand for separate religious status for Lingayats in Karnataka is only growing with the community now setting fresh demands and a deadline for the state government. During a rally on Sunday, prominent Lingayat leader Mathe Mahadevi put forth five demands along with setting a deadline for the Siddaramaiah government as part of the community's fight for a separate religious tag.

Prominent politicians and Lingayat community leaders apart from thousands from the community gathered at National college grounds in Bengaluru on Sunday to push the fight for religious tag forward. Previously, the community had proposed the setting up of 'Rashtriya Basava Sena', a youth organization that will create awareness about Basavanna's teachings apart from gathering support for the demand of separate religious status tag.

Mathe Mahadevi set a December 30th deadline for the Karnataka government to recommend separate religious status to Lingayats. The community put forth five demands.

Lingayat Mahasabha's demands

• Recommendation for separate religious tag before December 30, 2017
• According 'religious minority' status to Lingayats
• Renaming of Kalburgi University after Basavanna
• Withdraw circular that allows issuing of 'Lingayat caste certificates'
• Name Basavanna as the 'official cultural leader' of Karnataka

The fight for separate religious status to the community has turned into a political controversy considering that Lingayats form a sizeable vote bank in Karnataka. The previous B S Yeddyurappa-led BJP government came to power riding high on the Lingayat support. This time around, the internal squabble over separate religious tag within the community is likely to dent the BJP's prospects in terms of 'undivided' vote share from the community.

OneIndia News