Separate religion: 'Lingayat vs Veerashaiva' may rock Congress again

Bengaluru: Differences erupted within Congress on Monday a day after a collective of Lingayat pontiffs resolved to work towards getting a separate religion status for their ‘Lingayat’ faith.

The ‘separate religion’ movement for Lingayats is widely believed to have contributed to the Congress’ defeat in the 2018 Assembly polls. Then Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had recommended to the union government declaring the Lingayat faith as a separate religion.

On Sunday, the federation of Lingayat pontiffs said their religion, founded by 12th century social reformer Basavanna, must be recognised on the lines of Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. At this event, Siddaramaiah endorsed the view that Basavanna had indeed founded a new religion.

Like it did in the past, Sunday's resolution has irked the All India Veerashaiva Mahasabha, which reiterated its stand that the separate religion should be called ‘Veerashaiva-Lingayat’ as the two nomenclatures - Veerashaiva and Lingayat - mean the same. Puritan Lingayats, however, argue that they follow Basavanna and are different from Veerashaivas, who they say practice Hindu or Vedic rituals.

Sunday’s event was widely seen as an attempt to consolidate Lingayats, considered as the BJP’s support base, in favour of the Congress. Also, the event was held without the Mahasabha.

“Our stand is clear: Lingayat and Veerashaiva are the same. Shivakumara Swami (late Siddaganga Mutt pontiff) and all Mahasabha presidents have clarified that Lingayat and Veerashaiva mean the same,” Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre, the Mahasabha secretary-general, said. “There’s no strength in division,” he added.

Khandre maintained that Veerashaiva-Lingayats were Hindus by virtue of living in India. “But in terms of practices, we’re a separate Veerashaiva-Lingayat religion.”

Industries Minister M B Patil, who attended Sunday’s event, maintained that the Lingayat faith was an Indic religion like Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism.

“This time, people are more aware. Everyone is united,” Patil, who led the Lingayat religion movement in the previous Congress government, said. Asked about Mahasabha’s exclusion from Sunday’s event, he said, “Those with a dual stand weren’t invited. Only those in favour of Basavanna were invited.”

Patil pointed out that the Mahasabha itself had resolved that ‘Veerashaiva-Lingayats’ were not Hindus. “So, they’ve already come halfway to meet us,” he said. “We’re not anti-Hindu or anti-Veerashaiva. There are Jains and Sikhs. Have they caused any problem?” he asked.