BENGALURU: The issue of a separate religion status for Veerashaiva-Lingayat community threatens to trigger a turmoil within the community and the ruling Congress party with Water Resources Minister MB Patil retracting from his earlier stand on it.
Patil, who was a signatory to the letter submitted to the Union Home Minister in 2013 demanding a separate religion for Veerashaiva-Lingayat community, has termed it as a “mistake” on his part and apologised for the same.
Giving a new twist to his stand on the issue, Patil has in a letter to the All India Veerashaiva Mahasabha stated that the Veerashaivas and Lingayats cannot be treated as one community. “The Mahasabha should fight to get a separate religion tag for Lingayat Dharma,” Patil wrote.
Speaking to reporters here on Monday, Patil said, “Differences can be noticed between Veerashaivas and Lingayats if one studies the vachanas and other preachings of Basavanna and other Sharanas. Veerashaiva Mahasabha should make amends for its earlier mistakes. It should realise that Veerashaiva-Lingayat Dharma will not be able to get the separate religion tag.”
Patil has urged the Mahasabha to convene a meeting of the seers of various mutts of Veerashaiva-Lingayat community on the issue to evolve a consensus.Patil’s stand contradicts from that of the team of five ministers headed by Higher Education Minister Basavaraja Rayareddi, which is set to tour the state to gather public opinion for a separate religion status for Veerashaiva-Lingayats. According to Patil, social reformer Basavanna founded the Lingayat “religion” 800 years ago which is distinctly different from Veerashaivas.Many ritualsof Veerashaivas closely resemble that of Shaivites in Hinduism, while Lingayats are seen as a distinct community which shunned some archaic and superstitious rituals associated with Hinduism.
No change in Mahasabha stand
MB Patil’s stand has not gone down well with All India Veerashaiva Mahasabha, the apex organisation of Veerashaiva-Lingayat community. Senior Congress leader and President of the Mahasabha Shamanur Shivashankarappa has opposed Patil’s stand. Advocating the need for a united fight for getting a separate religion status for Veerashaiva-Lingayats, Shivashankarappa said that a wider debate with seers of various mutts and scholars of the community was needed. The Mahasabha has convened a meeting on August 2 to discuss the issue that has rocked the community after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah expressed his readiness to recommend to the Union government for according a separate religion tag.