BENGALURU: Over a 100 Lingayat swamijis condemned Kadasiddheshwara Swamiji of Kaneri Mutt for allegedly using vulgar language, which has gone viral. The National Basava Dal and Lingayat Dharma Mahasabha strongly condemned the seer for repeated derogatory remarks against Lingayat pontiffs and Basava devotees, describing his utterances as “abusive, unconstitutional, and intellectually degenerate”.
In a statement issued during the 24th Kalyan Parva celebrations at Basavakalyan, the organisations said the pontiff’s words had “deeply wounded the Lingayat community”. They accused him of acting “like an agent of extremist forces” and demanded that the government take legal action under the Goonda Act.
At an event on October 9 in Biluru village, Jath taluk of Sangli district, the seer allegedly used vulgar language against pontiffs of the Lingayat Mathadhishara Okkuta who led the Basava Culture Campaign, calling them “abusive names” and urging his followers to “beat them with slippers”.
The statement said, “This repeated display of abusive behaviour is a disgrace to his seat. He is unworthy to be called a disciple of Siddheshwar Swamiji and has disgraced the revered Kaneri Math.” The organisations said the seer’s outbursts stemmed from the Basava Culture Campaign’s success. They warned that if the government fails to act, Basava devotees will respond sharply. Former IAS officer SM Jaamdar, who is now a Lingayat leader, termed the Swamiji’s language “extremely vulgar and unbecoming of a pontiff”.