Yatnal asks BJP to take action against party leaders attending 'unity convention'

"As the Mahasabha office-bearers and minister Eshwar Khandre has asked Veerashaiva-Lingayats to enter 'others' in the religion column of caste census, those who participate in this convention where Hinduism would be blamed would become anti-Hindu, Yatnal said.

Hubballi: Charging that Akhila Bharat Veerashaiva Lingayat Mahasabha is in the grips of families of Shmanur Shivashankarappa, Eshwar Khandre and B S Yediyurappa, while some communist-minded seers are insulting Hinduism by claiming Lingayat as a separate religion, expelled BJP leader and MLA Basangouda Patil Yatnal on Friday asked the BJP high command to issue notice to BJP leaders who share dais at 'Veerashaiva-Lingayat Unity Convention' being held in Hubballi.

"As the Mahasabha office-bearers and minister Eshwar Khandre has asked Veerashaiva-Lingayats to enter 'others' in the religion column of caste census, those who participate in this convention where Hinduism would be blamed would become anti-Hindu.

"If the Mahasabha and seers want Veerashaiva-Lingayat unity, they should come out of the clutches of those three families. If BJP leaders who do not have the guts to enter Hindu as their religion, they should resign to BJP, because BJP is a Hindutva party," he said.

In association with the Mahasabha, seers led by Fakira Dingaleshwar Swamiji of Shirahatti Fakireshwar Mutt and others are holding 'Veerashaiva-Lingayat Unity Convention' in Hubballi on Friday, assuring to clear all confusions related to entries to be made by Veerashaiva-Lingayat community members in the socio-economic survey (caste census) and announce a clear stand, in the wake of divergent views.

Yatnal told reporters in Hubballi that Panchamasalis should not attend the convention, and write Hindu as their religion, before their caste.

Union government has recognised only six religions, and mentioning some other religion would not bring any benefit, as religion-based reservation is unconstitutional. Veerashaivas and Lingayats have the same tradition, but some seers are trying to separate them from Hindutva. Such seers should shun kaavi cloth, he challenged.

Congress government wants to divide all communities of Hinduism, to give all benefits to Muslims, due to its appeasement politics. This 'foolish' caste census should be stopped immediately, he added.

Yatnal also continued critisicising former CM B S Yediyurappa and State BJP president B Y Vijayendra, saying that people don't support BJP seeing their faces, and the BJP in the State has no future without Hindutva.