Karnataka govt to recommend religious minority tag to Lingayats

BENGALURU/ KALABURAGI: In deciding to recommend religious minority status for the numerically strong and politically influential Lingayat and Veerashaiva Lingayat communities, the state Cabinet on Monday lobbed the contentious issue into the Centre’s court. Taking the steam out of the Veerashaivas’ opposition to the move, the government also recommended that people of the Veerashaiva community, who believe in 12th century reformer, Basavanna’s philosophy, trust in the Vachanas and wear the Ishtalinga should also be considered Lingayats too and given minority religious status.

Giving away the government’s gameplan on the issue, law and parliamentary affairs minister, T.B. Jayachandra, told reporters after the Cabinet meeting, “At first it looked like the Veerashaiva Lingayats were against this move. But they will also get benefits for their educational institutions, like exemption from the Right to Education Act. Who would not want such benefits?” The minister said the government would notify the cabinet decision accepting the recommendation of the Justice Nagamohan Das committee report on giving independent religious status to the Lingayats and recommend it to the Centre for  notification  under section 2C of the Religious Minority Act.

However, in bringing to the fore the controversy that has seen the BJP and RSS accuse the Congress of playing “divisive politics,” and with mere months to go for elections to the state assembly, the BJP cried foul.