BENGALURU: Some call it a master stroke and others see it as a big risk ahead of Assembly elections. Looks like Siddaramaiah has taken a gamble hoping to make a dent in BJP’s Lingayat vote bank.
Despite differences within the Cabinet and threat of protests by some Veerashaiva mutts, the government on Monday took a bold decision to accord minority religion status to the Lingayat community. Though it is not clear if the Modi government will accept the recommendation, Siddaramaiah seems to have achieved his goal of making inroads into the Lingayat community that solidly supported the BJP in the past. The BJP, however, may make an attempt to capitalise on anger of prominent mutts and make it an election issue by accusing Siddaramaiah of dividing the community for his electoral gains.
“He has taken a huge political risk by antagonising a large section of people, who do not even understand differences between Lingayat and Veerashaivas,” said political analyst Harish Ramaswamy. “Siddaramaiah had done well by managing to consolidate support of some communities, but this is a wrong move and it will have an impact,” he added.
However, others see it as a calculated risk that is likely to help the Congress. “Even if 20 to 30 per cent of fence sitters support the Congress, that would convert into 20 to 25 seats. That makes a huge difference in a closely-contested election in which no party is expected to get the magic number of 113,” another political analyst said.Sarjoo Katkar, a senior journalist and a member of Justice Nagamohan Das Committee, sees it as a “master stroke” by the Chief Minister. “Siddaramaiah has nothing to lose. Even if 10 per cent of Lingayats vote for Congress, it will be a big gain,” he said.
Separate religion will be a major election issue in Mumbai-Karnataka and Hyderabad-Karnataka regions. In Mumbai-Karnataka region, the community has always supported BJP and in Hyderabad-Karnataka it also backed Congress candidates. In the 2013 Assembly polls, the Congress had fielded around 40 Lingayat candidates and of them 20 got elected to the Assembly.
“It will not help the Congress. In fact, it will backfire,” AAP Karnataka state convenor Prithvi Reddy said. “By making religion an issue in the elections, Siddaramaiah may have played into BJP hands,” he added.“It has the potential to be an electoral issue and the CM hopes to drive a wedge into the BJP Lingayat vote and expand AHINDA to AHINDA+. Seems to be a little too late in the day and may not cut electoral ice,” political analyst Prof Sandeep Shastri said.Siddaramaiah may be taking a risk by allowing the BJP to make religion an issue, that too when Congress leaders are trying hard to get rid of being projected as anti-Hindu by their temple visits during electioneering.
‘Won’t hurt other minorities’
Sensing the apprehensions of other minority communities about the impact of the decision on their welfare, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister T B Jayachandra said, “The decision will be implemented in such a way that it will not affect the existing benefits available to other religious or linguistic minorities. The point has been stressed in the Cabinet note as leaders of Muslim and Christian communities had reportedly raised their objections to the move.
A decision amid acrimony
The Cabinet meeting on Monday witnessed acrimony between the votaries of Lingayat religion — Water Resources Minister M B Patil, Mines and Geology Minister Vinay Kulkarni — and Veerashaiva-Lingayat adherents — Horticulture Minister S S Mallikarjun and Municipal Administration Minister Eshwar Khandre. According to sources, later, the CM struck a compromise formula by incorporating the recommendation to consider even Veerashaiva-Lingayats as part of the proposed religion.
Soon after the state Cabinet decision, ‘#Lingayat’ and ‘#Hindu’ were among the top trends on Twitter. The tags attracted comments on both ends of the spectrum. Here are some of the tweets
Actor Chetan @ChetanAhimsa
A separate Lingayat religion -> one step closer to its actualization
Purandar.khanadale
@KsPurandar I am #Lingayat I don’t want my religion division
Dinesh Kumar @Its_DineshKumar
Thank you Karnataka government for recognising Lingayat as a separate religion apart from Hinduism. Lingayat is the true religion for Hindus who reject Vedas and the cruel Hindu caste system. #Lingayat #Hindu
Renuka @RMangalgatti
I am #Lingayat and I am a Hindu. Some @siddaramaiah cannot make me a Non Hindu for his filthy political gain. Time to teach him a lesson this election!