Lingayat leaders back M B Patil, blame Sangh Parivar for row

Leaders favouring a separate religion tag for the Lingayat faith on Thursday defended Water Resources Minister M B Patil, accusing the Sangh Parivar of influencing  Siddaganga Mutt seer Shivakumara Swami to change his stand on the issue.

On September 10, M B Patil had announced that the seer extended support for the separate Lingayat religion campaign. Two days later, the Mutt clarified that it had not said anything to that effect, causing embarrassment to Patil and the campaign itself.

Mines and Geology Minister Vinay Kulkarni, former minister and JD(S) leader Basavaraj Horatti, Aland MLA B R Patil and retired IAS officer S M Jaamdar — all of them belonging to the Lingayat camp — defended M B Patil, maintaining that he had not lied.

“After word spread that the Siddaganga Mutt supported the Lingayat cause, the Sangh Parivar got worried because it was a setback for them. There were instructions from Delhi to somehow manage this,” B R Patil told a press conference.

Jaamdar, too, said there was “something fishy” in the run-up to the Mutt’s clarification that it did not express support for the separate religion demand for the Lingayat faith. “On September 12, there were two statements issued by the Mutt. The first one called for unity within the community and that Veerashaiva and Lingayat were the same. After a few hours, there was a second statement that had an addition — that MB Patil had twisted the Swamiji’s words. What could have transpired in those few hours?” Jaamdar asked cryptically.

Horatti admitted that M B Patil had erred by disclosing the conversation he had with Shivakumara Swami. “He got emotional,” he said. “From now, no politician will ever drag the Siddaganga Mutt into the matter.” Kulkarni added that the issue will not weaken M B Patil. “We’re all with him and our fight will continue.”

Reddi for Veera Lingayat

Meanwhile, Higher Education Minister Basavaraj Rayareddi insisted that Lingayat was a religion in itself. “It can’t be Veerashaiva, because the presence of ‘Shaiva’ makes it part of the Hindu religion. Lingayat is not part of the Hindu religion. Let it be called Veera Lingayata instead. Anyway, an expert committee must be formed to get more clarity,” he said, adding that he would soon visit the Siddaganga Mutt and discuss the matter with the seer.