INBOXED unfortunate that the Karnataka state cabinet approved the recommendation of the Justice Nagamohan Das-headed expert committee to accord the status of minorities to the “ Lingayat and Veerashaiva Lingayat ” communities . What would such a decree actually mean ? It would mean that Lingayats and Veerashaiva Lingayats , one of Karnataka ’ s leading communities , will have special privileges under Section 25 , 28 , 29 and 30 of the Constitution . These include the right to profess and propagate their religion , access to special religious instruction and worship and , perhaps most importantly , the freedom to run and manage minority educational institutions . The latter is sure to benefit several Lingayat educational trusts , which exist all over the state , but especially flourish in north Karnataka . Lingayats already enjoy a 15 per cent reservation under categories 2A and 3B of the OBCs in Karnataka . Of course Lingayats in Telangana too enjoy reservations . With this particular demand having been around for years , the question , of course , is the timing . And that , clearly , is political — the
CLASH CARD Lingayat Vs Veershaiva
Guilty as Charged
GOA M . N . Bhartiya : This refers to your editorial comment Congress & Media ( April 2 ). Given the lack of committed ground-level workers in the Congress , the very question of their return to power does not arise . Those who live in their own air-conditioned shells , despite their quest for their lost sultanate , are naturally wary of the unsympathetic electronic media , lest a slip of the tongue betray their arrogance . In sharp contrast , the BJP ’ s RSS cadre-based footsoldiery comes fully brainwashed from childhood in the shakhas . To these disciplined soldiers of the Hindu Rashtra , independent thinking looks like a luxury they cannot afford if they are to rise up the ranks . Like the cavaliers in Lord Tennyson ’ s poem The Charge of the Light Brigade , their only mantra is : “ Ours not to reason why , ours but to do and die ,” as per the command of their Nagpur-based top guns . The Congress can regain its relevance to Indian politics only if its leaders adjust with anybody who stands for pluralism , secularism and social justice , without asking “ what ’ s in it for me ?” Basking in their glorious past will not do .
Congress is desperate to hold on to its gateway to the south and the BJP is determined to breach it and set up its own . Accommodating many sects and giving them autonomy and empowerment is nothing new . Nor is conflict between different schools of Hinduism . This is why Hinduism , a religion without a book , pope or any rigid commandments is considered more a way of life . Not all Lingayats , who are also found in Telangana , Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra , want a separate religion . They consider themselves a part of Hinduism , albeit with distinctive features . All this has been obscured as the battle for Karnataka gains momentum . What could have been a debate on the assimilative genius of Hinduism will now be reduced to a discussion about electoral mathematics and vote banks .
MYSORE J . Akshobhya : Will the Congress party reap the benefit of providing religious minority status to Lingayats in the upcoming Karnataka Assembly polls ? This is the million dollar question , although CM Siddaramaiah seems to believe that it will help his party get at least 10 to 20 per cent of Lingayat votes . Who are Lingayats ? They are followers of the 12th century reformer Basavanna who rejected the caste hierarchy and vedic rituals . Lingayats do not consider themselves Hindus , having rejected the tenets of traditional Hinduism like karma , ritualism and caste , and having emphasised the necessity as well as the dignity of labour . Veerashaivism attracted converts from all castes , including Dalits . The new rel igion followed the teachings of Basavanna based on a rigid doctrine of monotheism — Shiva is facebook . com / Outlookindia
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16 April 2018 OUTLOOK 15