Belagavi: Groups within community plan mega rallies
Mahasabha announced in Belagavi that a decision to be taken by Veerashaiva Mahasabha would be final and binding.
Belagavi: The tug of war between different groups of Lingayats and Veerashaivas over separate religion status for Lingayats continues to get complicated as the leaders are unwilling to arrive at a consensus.
A few days after heads of hoary Lingayat Maths and leaders from north Karnataka announced a massive rally of Lingayats in Belagavi on August 22 demanding separate religion for Lingayats, another section of Veerashiva Mahasabha announced in Belagavi that a decision to be taken by Veerashaiva Mahasabha would be final and binding.
At a meeting of Veerashaiva Lingayats held here, the heads of different Maths felt that seers who demanded a separate religion for Lingayats while claiming that Veerashaivas were a separate section, were involved in corruption. “Veerashaiva and Lingayats are two sides of the same coin and any decision taken by Veerashaiva Mahasabha with regard to Lingayats should be final and binding. The entire Veerashaiva and Lingayat community will accept it,'' the leaders said at the meeting while adopting a resolution.
Most of seers at the meeting including Murughendra Swamy of Ghodgeri, Veerabhadar Shivacharya Swamy of Chandargi, Chandrashekhar Shivacharya Swami of Hukkeri said, both sections were united in the state except for some small differences between them. While opposing the intervention of a third party, the leaders clarified that they would get their problems resolved.
On the other, Shivanand Jamdar, a retired IAS officer, officially announced the organisation of a massive Lingayat rally on August 22 at Lingaraj College grounds in Belagavi and said, seers from Lingayat Maths and lakhs of people would participate.