Rahul Linga Deekshe: Political statement or symbolism?

Rahul Gandhi’s Ishta Linga Deekshe is seen as a politically significant symbolism at a time when the Congress is trying to woo the dominant Lingayat community.

Rahul’s initiation into the Lingayat philosophy happened before Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah’s 75th birthday bash in Davangere. “At least 85 per cent of the crowd belonged to the Kuruba community,” a Congress leader said.

Siddaramaiah is a Kuruba, a key component in the Ahinda (minorities, backward classes and Dalits) that the former chief minister is trying to mobilise ahead of the 2023 polls. A section of Congress leaders is wary that his Ahinda push would drive away dominant the Lingayats and Vokkaligas.

Read | Rahul Gandhi takes ‘Linga Deekshe’ at Murugha Mutt in Karnataka

“It’s a strong statement,” a Congress leader said. “Rahul’s deekshe is an endorsement for Lingayats that Basavanna’s principles are universal.”

Rahul’s Lingayat outreach is an extension of the Congress’ bid to make inroads into the community which moved away from the party after the ouster of Veerendra Patil by his father, Rajiv Gandhi. “We see an opening following B S Yediyurappa’s ouster as CM. Plus, Siddaramaiah’s moves to be seen as the CM face will begin consolidation of Lingayats and Vokkaligas, which won’t be good news for the Congress,” the leader quoted earlier said.

Ramzan Darga, a scholar on Lingayatism, agreed that the Deeksha in itself may not get votes but the optics may play a key role in the larger scheme of things. “It is the sidelining of Yediyurappa and the Panchamshali reservation issue that will affect BJP, not the Linga Deekshe. But Rahul Gandhi’s message to the community will help the outreach efforts,” he noted.

Rahul Gandhi is the second person from public life to get the Deeksha in the Murugarajendra mutt, after former governor the late T N Chaturvedi. The pontiff Shivamurthy Murugha Sharana has not only given Deeksha to persons of non-Lingayat community but also helped them set up their own mutts, including Madara Chennaiah Gurupeetha and Bhovi Gurupeetha.

Reacting to a the Karnataka BJP calling Rahul an ‘Election Hindu’, a senior Lingayat leader, who was at the forefront of the fight for separate religion, said both the BJP and the Congress need to realise that mutts have lost the stature of preeminence they once had.

“Mutts have become institutions that increasingly focus on things other than the facilitators of ‘Dasoha’ (charity). More importantly, mutts have broken into thousands of branches and smaller fragments over the last 70-80 years. As a result, the idea of one mutt commanding a great number of people is misplaced,” he said.

However, writer B L Venu said the seers of backward classes in the region are influenced by the Murugha seer who has considerable followers in the
region.

Meanwhile, writer H S Shivaprakash said Rahul Gandhi getting Deeksha can also be seen non politically. “The idealism of the ‘Ishtalinga’ is profound and offers a new path for a follower. What we need to see is whether or not one follows the tenets to fulfil the responsibility,” he said.

Muruga Mutt seer Sivamurthy said those who receive the Deeksha need to perform pooja. “Ishtalinga removes negative thoughts and instills wisdom. The puja is the practice to find god in oneself. The mutt had offered Deeksha to former Karnataka Governor T N Chaturvedi and even to Mulsims,” he said.