Kurubas, Dalits also may seek independent religion tags, says worried Eshwarappa

Bengaluru, Jul 29: Senior BJP leader K S Eshwarappa has accused the Siddaramaiah government of “raking up” issues such as separate religion for the Lingayat-Veerashaiva community to cover up its “lapses” and “maladministration”.

Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru on Friday, Eshwarappa said it was a ploy to divert people’s attention from the failures of the government. “If each caste is given a separate religion status, what will be the fate of society?” he said.

He said if the Veerashaiva-Lingayat dharma is declared a separate religion, then Kurubas and Dalits will also seek independent religion tags. “It is not the job of the government to create new religions. The government should safeguard the interests of the people and that is not happening,” he said.

Eshwarappa said that when corruption at Bengaluru Central Prison at Parappana Agrahara became public, the government raised the issue of granting official status to state flag as a “diversionary tactic”.