BENGALURU: Even as Vokkaliga strongman DK Shivakumar is all set to ascend the chief minister’s chair in Karnataka, the All-India Veerashaiva-Lingayat Mahasabha demanded enhanced political representation for the influential community, including a deputy CM post.
The Mahasabha asserted that the Lingayats, a numerically strong and socially dominant community in the state, deserve a larger share in the power structure. The community currently holds eight ministerial berths in the Congress cabinet.
Shivakumar’s respect for Veerashaiva-Lingayat traditions has not gone unnoticed. It is recalled that he took oath in the name of Ajjayya, a revered Veerashaiva-Lingayat saint.
Many in the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee also remember how B forms for candidates were ritually touched to the saint’s sacred presence before distribution.
“In the current cultural milieu of Karnataka, every CM irrespective of the social group or community he comes from identifies with the Sharana tradition of Kayaka and Dasoha and CM-designate DK Shivakumar is no different... DKS has identified himself as a disciple of Ajjayya who comes from the lineage of Kaadu Siddeshwara, who is a revered saint of the Vachana and Sharana tradition,” political analyst BS Murthy said.
Karnataka’s recent political history is replete with examples of non-Lingayat leaders, turning to Basavanna and Lingayat traditions. Former PM HD Deve Gowda, before assuming the CM’s post and later the country’s top job, had taken Linga Deeksha in 1991 at the Moorusavira Mutt and gave up eating non-vegetarian food thereafter.
Even Siddaramaiah, who has often projected a rationalist image and maintained he is not overly religious, has openly declared himself a follower of Basavanna. It was his government that anointed Basavanna as the cultural icon of Karnataka.
The Lingayat community, known for its significant presence in northern and central Karnataka, has long played a decisive role in the state’s electoral politics. With the Mahasabha now pressing for the DCM post and greater representation, the Congress leadership faces the delicate task of balancing regional and community aspirations in the days ahead.
Congress sources indicate that any decision on the leadership transition and cabinet will have to carefully factor in these demands to maintain internal harmony and community goodwill.
I’M READY TO TAKE UP ANY RESPONSIBILITY GIVEN BY CONGRESS, SAYS ESHWAR KHANDRE
Senior Congress leader and national president of the All-India Veerashaiva Lingayat Mahasabha, Eshwar Khandre, said on Friday that he is a loyal party worker and is ready to take up any responsibility given by the party. Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, he said that the Congress has always recognised those who have worked loyally and efficiently. On Siddaramaiah’s resignation, the Congress leader said the former had resigned voluntarily and that he would continue to be active in state politics.
Khandre said that DK Shivakumar has done a good job as deputy CM. All the ministers in the last cabinet have fulfilled their responsibilities, and the party will gain greater strength through concerted efforts of everyone, said Khandre, who was the Minister of Forest, Ecology and Environment in the Siddaramaiah cabinet.
