People belonging to the Lingayat community are set to stage a protest in Bengaluru, demanding a separate religious status to consider them a religious minority. The development comes amid various communities demanding reservation in the poll-bound state.
Channabasavananda Swami, honorary president of the Akhila Bharat Lingayata Samanvaya Samiti, had earlier said they will vote for the party that makes a recommendation to the Centre to grant the Lingayat community independent religious status.
Swami stated that the previous Siddaramaiah-led Congress government forwarded a suggestion on the autonomous religious status to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Union government, but it was rejected by the Centre. “Today, because there is a BJP government at the state and the Centre, we urge chief minister Basavaraj Bommai to send the recommendation again to the Central and receive the consent. In this regard, we are staging a satyagraha,” he stated, according to a report by Hindustan Times.
What is the Demand of the Lingayat Community?
Swami told the Hindustan Times that “supreme Court has said that Hinduism is not a religion, but a lifestyle. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also said this. Sikhism is a separate religion with a history of about 500 years. When Jains also have a separate religion, why should the Lingayat community with a history of 900 years not have a separate religion?”
This comes as the state government creates two new categories for Lingayats and Vokkaligas, 2C and 2D, whose reservation needs would be met from a share of the 10% Economically Weaker Section (EWS) quota.
The administration stated that the Vokkaligas, who are classified as 3A, will be classified as 2C. The Veerashaiva-Lingayats, who are currently classified as 3B, will be classified as 2D. The existing 3A and 3B categories will be eliminated.
Nevertheless, the Panchamasali Lingayats, a sub-sect of the group that has been fighting for a 15% quota under the OBC 2A category, rejected Bommai’s offer and warned of consequences in the upcoming Assembly elections, said the report.
Who are Lingayats?
The Lingayats, who have been BJP supporters for over two decades, account for 17% of Karnataka’s population and are said to have sway over the outcome of 100 of the state’s 224 assembly seats.
The Lingayat religion is thought to have evolved from the teachings of Basava, a 12th century social reformer and Kannada poet. Several scholars, however, believe he aided an established sect. Basava, who was inspired by the ‘Bhakti’ movement, rejected temple worship and Brahmin ceremonies in favour of a religion free of gender and religious prejudice, said a report by the Print.
Over the years, several people from backward castes chose to be Lingayats in order to avoid the rigid Hindu caste system.
What does the Lingayats’ status as a religious minority imply?
If the Government accepts the demand, Lingayats will be able to establish and run their own educational institutions, among other things.
A Setback for BJP
Expressing their displeasure over not being recognised and given election tickets despite serving the BJP for decades, Lingayat leader HD Thammaiah and KS Kiran Kumar, along with 100 other party leaders joined the Congress ahead of the 2023 assembly polls on Sunday. READ MORE
HD Thammaiah, who has been working for the BJP for the last 18 years, quit the party for not being given the election ticket from Chikmagalur – BJP national secretary and MLA CT Ravi’s constituency.
Caste Balance for K’taka Polls
With only a few months until the 2023 Karnataka Assembly election, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is caught in a bind as both the Vokkaligas and the Lingayats — two higher caste, powerful communities in the state — push for increased reservations.
In October, Chief Minister Basasvaraj Bommai’s government boosted Karnataka’s reservation quota for SCs from 15% to 17% and for STs from 3% to 7%, exceeding the Supreme Court’s 50% total reservation criteria.
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