BENGALURU: As Lingayats prepare to celebrate Basava Jayanti on Sunday, there is a concern about the Lingayat leadership within BJP. Veerashaiva Mahasabha Secretary Renuka Prasanna said, ‘’We feel some vested interests are out to destroy the Lingayat leadership within BJP. It is true that they have given Lingayats 68 seats, but what about Lingayat leadership?”
Jagathika Lingayat Mahasabha Principal General Secretary SM Jaamdaar said, “I concur with Renuka Prasanna. While the community’s perception appears to be turning negative towards BJP, the party leaders are bending over backwards to assure the community that all is well.
They are bringing BS Yediyurappa back to the centre stage. It appears he is going everywhere helplessly, and putting up a brave face. Till the RSS-BJP follows the principle of ‘use and throw’, all Lingayat leaders should think about their future in BJP. The way the party treated Yediyurappa, Jagadish Shettar, Laxman Savadi and BB Shivappa is for all to see. If they can do it to people who built the party from the scratch, what about lesser mortals?’’
Many social media posts talk about the “Brahmanical leadership” neutralising the “Lingayat leadership” within BJP.
A member of a Lingayat group that translates the works of slain writer MM Kalburgi to learn and understand the Lingayat identify better said, ‘’Lingayat assertion of their identity is becoming more pronounced.’’
Senior BJP leader and former MLC Go Madhusudhan said, “BJP has recognised and put up 68 candidates, because Lingayats are the biggest community. If more people win, more are likely to be represented in the cabinet. If Congress comes to power, a Kuruba or Vokkaliga is likely to become chief minister. If JDS comes to power, a Vokkaliga may become CM. But if BJP comes to power, a Lingayat will become CM again. That is the highest level of leadership.”
But Veerashaiva Mahasabha and other Lingayat groups said that while Basavaraj Bommai was made chief minister, he was not given a “free reign” as he was controlled by his “RSS masters”.