Bengaluru, Jul 30: The debate on separation of Veerashaiva-Lingayats from Hindu dharma took has taken an ugly turn in the weekend with a few seers of the community launching personal attacks against each other while their followers took to the streets in many parts of the state.
Trouble erupted following reports that Rambhapuri mutt pontiff Sri Veera Someshwara Swami in Chikkamagaluru had tried to cast aspersions on Basava Dharma Peeta head Mathe Mahadevi, who has been claiming that Veerashaivas and Lingayats are different and has been vociferously demanding a separate status only for Lingayats.
The Rambhapuri mutt pontiff had reportedly questioned Mahadevi's character by alleging that she was in a relationship with a fellow seer named Linganandaswami.
A letter, purportedly written about 35 years ago by Linganandaswami to a disciple, confessing his proximity to Mahadevi, was released to the media.
"This is an offshoot of the ongoing controversy. Both Rambhapuri mutt pontiff and Mahadevi had held contrary views on the issue and it is now getting personal," a senior bureaucrat said.
With news about Rambhapuri mutt pontiff's alleged derogatory comments spreading like wildfire, supporters of Mahadevi staged demonstrations in Bengaluru, Dharwad, Kalaburagi, Koppal and Chitradurga.
While members of the Rashtriya Basava Dal staged a protest in Rajajinagar, Bengaluru, members of Basava Dal and Akkamahadevi Anubhava Peeta burnt an effigy of Rambhapuri mutt pontiff in Dharwad for his remarks. Demanding an unconditional apology to Mahadevi, her followers submitted a representation to the deputy commissioner demanding Rambhapuri mutt pontiff's arrest. Her followers have threatened to intensify the agitation against the pontiff if he does not apologise before July 31.
Meanwhile, the followers of Rambhapuri mutt pontiff and others community leaders who are against breaking away from Hinduism maintained that Mahadevi was playing into the hands of a few politicians, who are out to divide the community for political reasons. "She has been provoking Lingayats to break away from the Veerashaiva-Lingayat community. This will be detrimental to the community in the long run."
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