BENGALURU: A protest erupted in Bengaluru on Tuesday over the release of the controversial book, Vachana Darshana. The book was launched around 6pm by RSS Sah Sarkaryavaha Mukhunda CR at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, along with Vice-Chancellor of Sanskrit University Mallepuram G Venkatesh.
However, earlier in the day, a large group of progressive Lingayats had assembled at Freedom Park to express their opposition to the book. The protesters, who came from various regions including Bengaluru city, Bengaluru Rural, Mandya, Mysuru, Nanjangud, Chamarajanagar, Chitradurga, Hosur, Vijayapura and Raichur, gathered at 11am and protested till about 3pm. They raised slogans and burnt the book cover as a symbolic gesture of their discontent. Omkar Chonde, president of Vishwaguru Basavana Anuyayigala Okkuta, criticised the authors and publishers of Vachana Darshana for allegedly misrepresenting Basavanna’s teachings. Chonde challenged the authors, Ayodhya Publications and Prajna Pravahah Karnataka to debate with Lingayat scholars, and accused them of distorting original Vachana literature. He urged readers who are genuinely interested to consult volumes of Vachana literature published by the government.
Several prominent Lingayat organisations, including the Jagathika Lingayat Mahasabha, Rashtriya Basava Dal and Sharana Samskruti Rajshana Vedike, supported protests against the book which have been seen since about a fortnight, starting with Kalaburagi where more than 50 protesters were detained by police. Religious heads such as Pujya Shri Basavayogi Prabhugalu from Basava Kendra, Chikkamagaluru, and Pujya Shri Omkareshwar Swamiji from Mandya participated in the demonstration. Initially, the protesters planned to gather at the Basaveshwara statue near Basaveshwara Circle but were redirected to Freedom Park by police. They had held a protest in Kalaburagi about a fortnight ago, where about 50 protesters were detained by police, and in Davangere they had disrupted a stage function.
Curiously, former chief minister and BJP MP Basavaraj Bommai, a practising Lingayat, participated in the book release but chose not to say anything against the protesters.