Centre non-committal on Lingayat demand

NEW DELHI: The Centre today remained non-committal on the Karnataka Government’s proposal to grant religious minority tag to the Lingayat/Veerashaiva community, as a senior Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) official said, the department “would examine in detail” once it receives the recommendation from the state.

Mukesh Ranjan

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 20

The Centre today remained non-committal on the Karnataka Government’s proposal to grant religious minority tag to the Lingayat/Veerashaiva community, as a senior Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) official said, the department “would examine in detail” once it receives the recommendation from the state.

The response from the MHA came a day after the Congress government in poll-bound Karnataka decided to recommend granting religious minority tag to the numerically strong and politically-influential Lingayat/Veerashaiva community.

When asked to comment on the development, the official said the issue of granting religious minority tag to the community would be examined as and when the MHA received the proposal from the state government.

He added that the MHA would most likely forward the proposal to the Registrar General & Census Commissioner for a detailed examination and suggestions.

The Karnataka Government took the decision following a recommendation of an expert panel set up by the state on the issue.

According to the panel, Lingayats and Veerashaiva Lingayats are those who believe in the philosophy of Basaveshwara, 12th century social reformer.

The demand for a separate religion tag to Veerashaiva/ Lingayat faiths had surfaced from the community, amidst resentment from within over projecting the two communities as the same.

Karnataka State Minorities Commission had formed a seven-member committee, headed by retired high court Judge HN Nagamohan Das, on the issue which submitted its report on March 2.

The Lingayat/Veerashaiva community that owes allegiance to the “social reform movement” initiated by Basaveshwara has a substantial population in Karnataka, especially in the northern parts of the state.

The BJP and several sections of the Hindu community have maintained a cautious stance, keeping away from the move to give Veerashaiva/Lingayat separate religion status. They have accused the Siddaramaiah government of dividing the society to draw political mileage ahead of assembly elections due in the next couple of months.