Lakhs attend Lingayat rally, push for religion status; BJP stays away

coastaldigest.com news network
August 23, 2017

Belagavi, Aug 23: The mega Lingayat convention and rally organized at Lingaraj College Grounds here on Tuesday to put pressure on the state and central governments to accord the separate religion status to the community saw lakhs of people converging from different parts of Karnataka and neighbouring states. However, BJP leaders stayed away from the event.

The convention concluded with a single resolution that Lingayats belong to a separate religion and it should get constitutional recognition. Besides, all participants pledged to fight for separate religion status till the demand is met.

This is the second mega rally of Lingayats in the state after the one at Bidar. The meet claimed the Lingayat religion had come into existence after the 12th century revolution that had opposed Vedic religion that promoted caste and gender discrimination.

Siddalinga Swami of Tontadarya Mutt, Gadag, Muruga Sharanaru of Bruhan Mutt, Chitradurga, Mate Mahadevi of Basava Dharama Peeta and over 50 other seers representing different mutts, political leaders of community from the Congress and the JD(S) participated. However, Lingayat leaders from the BJP abstained from the rally.

Senior JD(S) leader Basavaraj Horatti said the government should accord religion status to Lingayat or face the consequences and anger of the community. Lingayats and Veerashaivas are totally different. Akhila Bharatha Veerashaiva Mahasabha should realise that Lingayat was a complete religion in view of its unique philosophy.

Horatti criticised the RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat for his statement that Lingayats should remain in Hinduism. The struggle will go on until Lingayat was recognised as an independent religion, he added.

Retired IAS officer Shivanand Jamdar said it was not an effort to establish a new religion but a struggle seeking recognition for an already existing one. "When we are not Hindus, the question of we deserting Hinduisim would thus not arise,” he added.

Minister for Mines and Geology Vinay Kulkarni said it was an apolitical movement and urged the community's political leaders to come out of the clutches of the vested interest to uphold the interest of the community. A mega rally of 25 lakh people would be organised in Benglauru in support of the demand, he stated.

Muruga Sharanaru of Chitradurga stressed the need for convincing other seers who had remained away from the movement. Mate Mahadevi asked the community leaders in the BJP to introspect whether their priority was politics or religion.

Comments

MSS
 - 
Wednesday, 23 Aug 2017

Dharma should clearly define the goal and  its own principles.

These are fundaments for existence of dharma to be  justified,

 

If Lingayat is separate, you should not imitate anything from other religion specially the way of Seers, Mutts, Kesari dress those all resembles as Hindus.

 

Lingayats should have your own.

 

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News Network
February 6,2020

Shivamogga, Feb 6: A youth, who allegedly uploaded pornography and inappropriate videos of children on social media, was arrested by the district CEN police after a tip-off from the CyberTipline.

The accused is a resident of Sorab taluk and is said to be below 18 years. He uploaded the objectionable content during April and May last year. He was traced based on the IP address of his computer and the mobile call records shared by the investigating agencies.

He was arrested in January under the provisions of the Information Technology Act 2000 and sent to judicial custody, said police sources.

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News Network
February 13,2020

Bengaluru, Feb 13: Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Thursday said the government had initiated measures to implement the Sarojini Mahishi report as the 12-hour Karnataka bandh call by several pro-Kannada organisations under the banner of Karnataka Sanghatanegala Okkoota began on Thursday.

“Government always stood for Kannada and Kannadigas and initiated measures to implement the Sarojini Mahishi report,” Yediyurappa said. Meanwhile, in Bengaluru, Ola, Uber and auto services were affected even though buses were plying as usual. Security has also been beefed up in Bengaluru after stones were pelted at a Tirupati-Mangaluru bus in Farangipet, though no one was injured.

Bangalore University has postponed all postgraduate (PG) exams scheduled for today. A pro-Kannada activist, Praveen Shetty, was kept under house arrest and police have detained a few people, including those involved in Cauvery protests and other bandh cases.

The organisations are demanding the implementation of a report by former union minister Sarojini Mahishi that recommends a certain percentage of jobs to Kannadigas in public sector undertakings, private companies, and multinational companies. The report was submitted in 1984 but is yet to be implemented.

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News Network
February 9,2020

Bengaluru, Feb 9: Senior JD(S) leader and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda has called upon all the regional parties and secular parties to join hands with the Congress and work in tandem to take on the BJP.

Noting that mere speeches would not help, he said the regional and secular parties should enhance their strength politically in the country.

"We all need to join together with Congress and work in tandem with the available strength only then will we be able to stop them (the BJP)," the JD(S) supremo said at a public meeting organised by the party in Hassan district on Saturday.

Gowda cautioned the regional and secular parties against sitting idle watching the developments in the country.

"If the small and regional parties do not exercise the powers given by Dr B R Ambedkar to the country, they (BJP) are going to the extent of finishing them up," he said. Interestingly, the JD(S) patriarch, had in the run-up to the December bypolls to Karnataka assembly said he would not align with the Congress and dubbed it as "not trustworthy."

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