Bengaluru: On the occasion of Basava Jayanti, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah hailed the 12th-century Lingayat philosopher as a “flag bearer of equality.”
“Basava was a philosopher for whom social justice was of prime concern. He was an egalitarian role model, and brought about a revolution in society and his message is relevant even today”, he said.
On April 17, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Shobha Karandlaje had reportedly said that Siddaramaiah should not be allowed to garland the statue of Basaveshwara on the occasion of his annual Jayanti.
Karandlaje had further claimed that Siddaramaiah had no moral right to celebrate the birth anniversary of Basaveshwara.
Slamming Karandlaje, Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy said, “She is not authorised to make such remarks as Basaveshwara is not her ‘property.'”
“Who is she? Who is she to tell us? Basaveshwara (12th-century Lingayat philosopher) is not the property of Shobha Karandlaje”, Reddy fumed.
Meanwhile, BJP Chief Amit Shah paid his tribute to Basaveshwara by garlanding his statue earlier in the day.
Political parties and their leaders are making all possible attempts to drive home the advantage in order to gain the confidence of Lingayat community voters, who account for 17 percent of the total electorate ahead of polls.
