Belagavi (Karnataka), Dec 12 (IANS) Kudalasangama Panchamasali Peeth seer Basava Jaya Mruthyunjaya Swami leading the protests demanding reservation for the Panchamasali Lingayat sect under the 2A Category, came down heavily on Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday and stated that he is anti-Lingayat.
Speaking to the media in Belagavi, while staging a protest condemning the police action on the community’s members while they were laying siege to the Belagavi Suvarna Vidhana Soudha on Tuesday, the seer claimed on Thursday, “I repeatedly want to convey that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is anti-Lingayat.”
There is resentment in the community over the lathi-charge on the protesters after the agitation by the Panchmasali Lingayat community turned violent and a mob pelted stones at the police and attempted to lay siege to the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belagavi on Tuesday.
The police had stopped thousands of protesters on their way to the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha, warning them not to march further.
The agitators allegedly threw stones and footwear at the police personnel after which the cops resorted to a lathi-charge to disperse the mob.
Basava Jaya Mruthyunjaya Swami warned, “I am trying to be patient. We will pursue a non-violent struggle. You have tried to provoke, assault Panchamasalis who are peaceful.”
“When one of the MLAs belonging to our community went to CM Siddaramaiah and pleaded with him to withdraw the orders of lathi-charge on the protestors, CM Siddaramaiah told him ‘how dare the community offend and oppose’ his government and ‘let them be punished’”, the seer professed.
“I thought CM Siddaramaiah was not there in Belagavi on that day and went to Bengaluru to pay respects to the mortal remains of former CM S.M. Krishna on Tuesday. But he was present in Belagavi. We have not seen such an inhuman CM in the history of the state. We will condemn it,” the seer stressed.
“The FIRs against the protestors will have to be withdrawn and the Chief Minister will have to suspend the police officers who assaulted protestors. I am giving a call to my people to not get provoked under any circumstances. If I give one call, 25 to 50 lakh members of Panchamasali Lingayats are ready to lay siege to the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belagavi,” the seer warned.
Meanwhile, the issue was raised by the BJP members in the Legislative Assembly during the Question Hour.
The BJP MLAs, led by Leader of Opposition, R. Ashoka condemned the lathi-charge and demanded action against the police officers who gave the orders for it.
However, Congress MLA Vijayanand Kashappanavar, hailing from the Panchamasali Lingayat sect stated that the protest by the Panchamasali Lingayat was RSS-sponsored.
“Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is the one who ordered installation of photos of Basavanna, the founder of the Lingayat sect in all government offices. CM Siddaramaiah took oath on the occasion of Basava Jayanti, he can never be anti-Lingayat,” Kashappanavar said.
Minister for Revenue Krishna Byre Gowda maintained that it was the BJP which gave an undertaking in the Supreme Court regarding non-implementation of reservation to the Linagayats and Vokkaligas.
The BJP MLAs got enraged following the statements and started moving towards the Well of the House. At this stage, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly U.T. Khader adjourned the House.
The Panchamasali community has been demanding inclusion under the 2A category. This will help them to move to the bracket of backward communities where 15 per cent reservation is provided for different communities. The community is presently placed under the 3B category, which gets five per cent reservation in government jobs and education institutions.
The Panchamasali sect is one of the major sects in the Lingayat community and predominantly settled in the North Karnataka region and mostly engaged in agriculture.
The development has taken a serious turn with the BJP pledging total support to the agitation and demands of the Panchamasali Lingayat sect. The Lingayats form the core support for the BJP in Karnataka.
–IANS
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