Karnataka: Shamanur writes to Kharge, seeks Rajya Sabha seat for Lingayats
BENGALURU: While no community has so far made an appeal to AICC national president Mallikarjun Kharge on Rajya Sabha seats, the all-powerful Veerashaiva Lingayat community on Monday wrote a formal letter to Kharge. It said a Lingayat should be made Rajya Sabha member, where the Congress can get three members elected to the Upper House.
Mahasabha president and MLA Shamanur Shivashankarappa wrote to Kharge on this issue, but stopped short of naming the person who should be nominated.
While some suggest there could be a personal interest of the Shamanur Shivashankarappa family, others said it is a common grouse among Lingayats.
The Lingayats are a politically and economically powerful community in the ten southern districts, though only three Lingayats have been elected MLAs in the districts of Tumakuru, Chikkaballapur, Bengaluru Urban, Bengaluru Rural, Hassan, Mysuru, Chamarajanagar, Mandya, Kodagu and Kolar. They have often sought greater representation.
The letter also said the community needs to be accommodated in the Lok Sabha ticket distribution. It may be recalled that the Veerashaiva Mahasabha had courted controversy when it claimed that Veerashaiva Lingayat officials were not given important positions in the bureaucracy and it had led to a major debate. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had himself responded to that statement from Shamanur Shivashankarappa. Shivashankarappa and his son Shamanur Mallikarjun are MLAs and Mallikarjun is a minister in the Congress government.
CM Siddaramaiah and DCM DK Shivakumar on Monday discussed the Rajya Sabha seats issue but there is no clarity if a Veerashaiva Lingayat candidate was being considered.