Panchamasali Mutt seer Basava Jayamruthyunjaya Swami.
Credit: DH File Photo
Belagavi: Lingayat seer Jayamruthyunjaya Swami has expressed his anger over the prohibitory orders imposed in Belagavi where the winter session of the Karnataka legislature started on Monday.
The seer had planned a tractor rally in the town on Tuesday, but the district administration clamped prohibitory orders, restricting the entry of tractors in town.
The pontiff of the Panchamasali Guru Peetha of Kudala Sangama has been pressing the successive governments to bring the Panchamasali community under the 2A category of the Other Backward Castes since December 2012.
Addressing reporters, the seer said such restrictions were uncalled for when he was carrying out a protest in a democratic way.
The community is presently under the 3B category and gets five per cent reservation in government education institutions and jobs. If the demand is met, the community would get 15 per cent reservation.
BJP state president B Y Vijayendra met the pontiff and extended support to his struggle.
Speaking to reporters, Vijayendra said he explained to the Swami that when his father B S Yediyurappa was the chief minister, reservation under 3B was given to the Panchamasali community.
The BJP state chief said there was an attempt to create an impression that the BJP did not support this struggle as Yediyurappa was opposed to it, which was wrong and far from the truth.