Hubballi: United or divided? Crucial Lingayat meet today

Hubballi: Lingayat leaders are inching closer to forming a separate body to challenge the Veerashaiva Mahasabha as they have failed to arrive at a consensus despite holding several meetings. Their decision hinges on what transpires at another meeting between the factions planned on October 4.

 Lingayat leaders of the district have already formed a Lingayat Mahasabha, but have not  formalised it yet to avoid embarrassing the senior leaders, who are still trying to negotiate with Veerashaiva leaders to arrive at a solution to the present dispute over a separate religious tag for the community.

 Lingayat leaders, who have been holding rallies and preparatory meetings under the banner of the Vishwa Lingayat Mahasabha that was registered a few decades ago, are unsure whether to continue with it or form a new Lingayat body should Wednesday's talks fail.

"The Veerashaiva leaders need to agree to our demand to change the name of their  organisation from  Akhil Bharat Veerashaiva-Lingayat Mahasabha to just Lingayat Mahasabha. Over 80 per cent of the community wants this as it  will help us  fight for a minority tag. The previous  proposals have been rejected by both the government and the court, " said senior JD(S) leader, Basavaraj Horatti, whose name is doing the rounds for the post of president of the new Lingayat body.

" We will have to register a separate Lingayat body  if the talks on Wednesday  fail," he added. 

While Lingayat leaders are demanding that seers, who are not backing them, should step down as heads of their Mutts, Mr Horatti claimed that many of these seers were afraid of angering the BJP, RSS and other Hindu organisations, which are against granting independent religious status to the community.  

The BJP could be in for trouble as the Lingayat leaders are in no mood to support it if does not back their cause.