Lingayats in Cong protest ‘caste card’
Lingayat leaders in the Congress have taken strong objection to what they see as the playing of the caste card by beleaguered Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa and his supporters among mutt heads.
At a press conference in Bangalore on Tuesday, former Deputy chief minister M P Prakash, former chairman of the Legislative Council Veeranna Mathikatti, former minister Rani Satish and others demanded that Yeddyurappa “stop playing the caste card to protect his chair.”
“His acts of corruption, nepotism deserve a thorough investigation and the guilty should be punished,” they said.
Prakash was scathingly critical of the seers who came in support of Yeddyurappa. “The seers, particularly those who have mutts in and around Bangalore and enjoyed benefits during Yeddyurappa’s rule, do not want him to go. Seers should restrict themselves to guide politicians whenever they go wrong. They should not enter into election politics”, he said.
Commenting on the Pejavar mutt seer’s statement supporting Yeddyurappa, Prakash said his statement did not come as a surprise since Visveshateertha had identified himself with the RSS, the BJP and its allies for decades.
Elsewhere in the City, Excise Minister M P Renukacharya alleged that JD(S) leaders H D Deve Gowda and H D Kumaraswamy were targeting the Chief Minister as he belongs to the Lingayat community. “The Chief Minister has done good work and he has doled out money to all mutts in the State. What is wrong in swamis supporting him,” he asked.
A few seers led by Shantaveera Swami of Kolada Mutt staged a protest in the City in support of Yeddyurappa’s continuance as chief minister.
