Cong keeps distance as ‘Lingayat religion’ demand revives

Karnataka's Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah on Thursday maintained distance from former minister M B Patil’s call to relaunch the campaign for a separate Lingayat religion, which was seen as a big reason for the Congress’ defeat in the 2018 Assembly polls.

On Wednesday, Patil said the Lingayats will benefit with ‘religious minority’ status like the Jains and Sikhs. “We will bring everyone together - the Pancha Peethas, the Veerashaiva Mahasabha, the Jagatika Lingayat Mahasabha - to form a consensus to go ahead. We want the Basava Dharma to become a global dharma,” Patil, who led this campaign earlier, told reporters. Patil also asserted that the ‘separate Lingayat religion’ campaign was not the cause for the party’s defeat in 2018.

Siddaramaiah refused to comment on this. “I will not speak about this. Go ask Patil,” he said.

Former minister Vinay Kulkarni, who also campaigned for a separate Lingayat religion, said the issue should not be made political. “It’s good if everyone is together on this. We will be happy if the Pancha Peetha pontiffs come together. Earlier, too, our stand was that everyone should be on the same page,” he said.

Even KPCC president DK Shivakumar, who had tendered an apology in public to the Lingayats after the assembly elections in October 2018 said Wednesday that the party will not comment on Patil’s statements.

Ahead of the 2018 polls, the BJP accused the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government of dividing society by pushing for 'religious minority' status to the Lingayats.

There are 13 districts in the northern and central regions of Karnataka where Lingayats are numerically-significant in 96 assembly constituencies. Of these seats, the Congress won 40 in 2018, down from 57 in 2013.