Religion tag for Lingayats: Muruga Mutt seer's letter puts Shah in a bind

Bengaluru: A letter by Sri Shivamurthy Shivacharya Swamiji of Muruga Mutt of Chitradurga has put BJP national president Amit Shah in a bind. The swamiji, while handing over the letter, had reportedly requested Mr Shah to “do the needful” to get the religion tag for Lingayats from the Centre.

Matters were further  complicated by the fact that the. prominent Lingayat seer has commended the Siddaramaiah government’s decision to recommend grant of religious minority tag to Lingayats and Veerashaiva Lingayats, in an embarrassment to BJP president Amit Shah, who had termed it as an attempt to ‘divide’ the Hindu community.

On a mission to connect with the pontiffs of the community, Shah had met several Lingayat/Veerashaiva seers during his two-day visit to Karnataka, in an apparent move towards keeping the BJP’s traditional Lingayat voter base intact, ahead of the May 12 Assembly polls. 

The letter pointed out that a strong movement is going on in Karnataka by Lingayats and Veerashaiva Lingayats, pressing for minority status to the community.  “At the outset it appears that there is a controversy between Lingayat and Veerashaiva Lingayat followers,” but it is a “temporary outbreak of emotions” of small groups in the followers of both faiths and “it will not last long,” it said. The seer said that the government of Karnataka has “rightly” recommended to the Centre in this regard. “Minority status to this religion will definitely deliver some benefits to the youth of this community - individually and collectively. It is not a step to divide the community, but a measure to unite the already sub divided sub caste followers in Lingayats,” he said. 

The swamiji, considered to be a progressive pontiff among the Left liberals in Karnataka, had on various occasions argued for a caste-less class-less society. 

He has earlier participated in initiatives and movements backed by progressive thinkers and reformers. However, he has pitched for religion status for Lingayats, saying it would help the common people from the community. 

In the letter handed over to Mr Shah, he has explained in detail how the state government constituted a committee which recommended the religion status that was approved by the state cabinet. After receiving the petition, Mr Shah promised to look into it.

But sources in the party said that Mr Shah and other leaders who accompanied him were left shocked as they did not expect it from the pontiff.