Thanks to the announcement of polls to the state Assembly much of the public diatribe against the rival Veerashiva and Lingayat groups has come to a grinding halt. But assuming that the animosity between these warring factions has cooled down would be an unrealistic situation to relish.A Congress party leader on conditions of anonymity claims: The priest community of Veerashivas has formed a team of around 5,000 volunteers who have been deputed to campaign against all those Congress leaders responsible for the recommendation of separate minority religion status.He confides thus: MB Patil, Major Irrigation Minister, Vinay Kulkarni, Mines and Geology Minister, BR Patil, Aland MLA are the targets of this team. Basavaraj Horatti, JDS leader is also part of the victims’ list but he’s not contesting the present elections as he has been getting elected to the Legislative Council from the Teachers constituency for the record eighth time.This controversy may not blow up into another major issue after the polls as has been projected now. However the adverse effect of it will be felt in the ongoing elections as Congressmen like Shyamanuru Shivashankarappa at the ripe age of 88 still manage to get the party ticket sitting at home says the Congress leader.Congress has failed to give enough representation to the Veerashiva-Lingayat community leaders and only 49 people have been given party tickets whereas the Bharatiya Janata Party has exceeded the Congress toll in comparison. No one belonging to these communities has been given ticket either in Bengaluru nor Old Mysuru region says another Congressman.According to another Congress leader: Siddaramaiah has been a Veerashiva-Lingayat baiter since the beginning of his political career. But for the previous time all his rivals since 1983 happened to be Lingayats in his constituencies.If the Veerashiva group leadership is clandestinely engrossed in waging a battle against all Congress leaders who happened to be in the forefront of the minority tag movement the pro Lingayat faction has gone one step forward.Mate Mahadevi acclaimed to be the first woman pontiff has openly declared her support to the Congress. In fact she’s even called upon her supporters to vote for the Congress which has led to a Pandora’s Box.The now strong propagandist for Lingayat religion was the centre of controversy for all the wrong reasons some time back. She went to the extent of publishing books changing the penname of none other than Basavanna, the 12th century saint philosopher and revolutionary social reformer.Not only that she had even led an agitation to ban Marga-1 and Marga-2, the research publications of Dr MM Kalaburgi, noted historian who was shot dead later. According to Mate Mahadevi and other conservative mindset people the two research works were against the Veerashiva-Lingayat philosophy.She also did what all possible to stall the enactment of ‘Mahachaitra’ play scripted by noted playwright HS Shivaprakash. The play was again alleged to be derogatory of the 12th century revolutionary poets.But now the piquant situation is such that the person who brought disgrace to Lord Basavanna is now heading the movement favoring Basava Dharma!
Hindusthan Samachar/Manohar Yadavatti
