BENGALURU, VIJAYAPURA, KALABURAGI, BELAGAVI: Water Resources Minister and Congress strongman D K Shivakumar has stirred a fresh row over the separate Lingayat religion issue ahead of the November 3 bypoll by stating that Congress paid a price in the recent Assembly polls for supporting the demand. He apologised to the community for the “mistake” committed by the previous government.
Shivakumar’s candid remarks at Lakshmeshwar in Gadag district has caused a ripple within the Congress with former ministers M B Patil and Vinay Kulkarni hitting out at him. Shivakumar’s stand has also invited the wrath of a few religious heads with the seer of Srishaila Saranga Mutt threatening to stop him from entering north Karnataka.
But Shivakumar remained unmoved. On Friday, he said that he stands by what he has said. “I am not bothered about what others say about me. I will not retract,” he said. He also got the backing of Veerashaiva Mahasabha president and senior Congress leader Shamanur Shivashankarappa.
Former minister M B Patil, who had been in the forefront of the agitation demanding separate religion tag for Lingayats, on Friday hit back at Water Resources minister D K Shivakumar for his remarks that Congress suffered for backing the demand. “It has become a sort of habit for Shivakumar to interfere in every other issue,” Patil said in Vijayapura on Friday.
He even threatened to take up the issue with the party high command. “Shivakumar is not the KPCC president. Has the party authorised him to issue such statements on the Lingayat issue?,’’ asked Patil.Former minister Vinay Kulkarni too has conveyed his displeasure against Shivakumar’s views over the party’s stand on the Lingayat issue.
Meanwhile, the divide within the community and the party over the issue surfaced again amid the campaigninig for the bypoll with senior Congress leader and president of the Veerashaiva Mahasabha, Shamanur Shivashankarappa, suppoting Shivakumar’s stand. Shivashankarappa has accused Patil of trying to divide the community for his political ambitions and threatened to complain against him to the party high command.
The issue threatens to hit Congress in the bypoll with the seer of Srishaila Saranga Mutt demanding that Shivakumar withdraw his statement or face boycott in north Karnataka. Shivakumar will not be allowed to enter north Karnataka if he refuses to retract, the seer has said.
DKS STICKS TO HIS STAND
Minister D K Shivakumar has refused to budge and defended his stand stating, “I have spoken according to my conscience. M B Patil is my good friend. He is leading an agitation for separate religion tag for his community. I will not speak about him. But I stick to my stand that political leaders should not interfere in religious affairs. I am speaking my conscience. I will not interfere in the affairs of even in Vokkaligara Sangha henceforth,” Shivakumar said.