Lingayats: Twin blow to government

Bengaluru: In twin setbacks to the state government, the Akhila Bharathiya Veerashaiva Mahasabha said it would not accept recommendations of a seven-member committee constituted to peruse applications for a separate religion tag for Lingayats, and the high court ordered issue of emergent notices to the state minorities commission and other authorities concerned in the wake of an petition, challenging the constitution of the committee, on Friday. Mahasabha president and veteran Congress leader Shamanur Shivashankarappa said the organization had no faith in the committee, and charged that it was constituted by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, to reap electoral gains in forthcoming polls to the Legislative Committee. The government took a unilateral decision on setting up the committee without consulting anyone, he said adding that since members of the committee have  expressed their opinion on the issue, there was no point in affirming faith in the new entity. 

When asked whether representatives of the Mahasabha would appear before the panel and submit documents to prove that Veerashaivas and Lingayats together constitute the numerically significant community, he told the media that he would take a call on the issue at an appropriate time in consultation with other members of the Mahasabha. 

Meanwhile, the high court said the committee’s report would be subject to the final outcome of the case where it would decide whether the constitution of the committee itself was legal.