Bengaluru: Minister for Higher Education Basavaraj Rayareddy on Monday made it clear that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah did not say that Lingayat community should be a separate religion.
Speaking with media persons at Vidhana Soudha, Minister Rayareddy said the chief minister wanted to have a separate identity for Lingayats. The minister said there were many opinions and suggestions on whether Lingayats should be separated from Hindu community or to have a separate identity. “We will undertake a state-wide tour along with prominent Lingayat leaders. We will discuss with Lingayat mutts’ chiefs on the issue,’’ the minister said.
Objecting BJP state president B.S. Yeddyurappa’s comments on the chief minister, he said the chief minister has no intention to divide Lingayat community. “There is no need for the chief minister to indulge in vote bank politics. Yeddyurappa doesn’t know about Lingayat philosophy. He should know Veerashaiva philosophy,’’ he said.
According to him, Lingayats will be benefited if their community is separated from Hindu community. “It will be categorised and identified as a minority community,’’ he said.
Objecting Yeddyurappa’s statement claiming that Lingayats are part of Hindu community, he said that Yeddyurappa is a hard-core follower of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and he doesn’t know the difference between Lingayats and Veerashaivas.
“Since Veerashaiva and Lingayat communities are one, we, including the leaders of Veerashaiva Mahasabha, demanded Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to consider a separate identity. Siddaramaiah has not said about considering separate identity on his own,’’ he said.
