Lingayat issue: MHA says will examine Karnataka govt proposal

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Tuesday said it will examine in detail the Karnataka government's recommendation to grant religious minority tag to the Lingayat and Veerashaiva-Lingayat communities as and when it receives the proposal.

The remarks came a day after the Siddaramaiah government decided to recommend that religious minority tag be granted to the numerically strong and politically-influential Lingayat and Veerashaiva-Lingayat community. It comes ahead of the Assembly polls.

A senior official said they are yet to receive the proposal and that they can comment only after examining it thoroughly. "Once we get it, we examine it. There is a process," the official said.

The MHA is likely is to forward the proposal to the registrar general and census commissioner for a detailed examination and suggestions. Only after this, the official said, a decision will be taken.