The Karnataka cabinet has decided to accept the recommendations of an expert panel on minority religion status for Lingayats.
The report by an expert committee led by Justice Nagmohan Das had recommended grant of religious minority status to Lingayats, and it included Veerashaiva-Lingayat as a group within the community.
Briefing reporters after a cabinet meeting, Karnataka Law Minister T B Jayachander said that the recommendation would be made under Section 2d of the Karnataka Minorities Act and that it was decided to forward the same to the Centre under Section 2c of the Central Minority Commission Act.
The state government has said that granting minority status to Lingayats should not affect existing benefits to other religious or linguistic minorities. The effective date of the grant of minority status would be notified after studying the impact on other minority groups, Jayachander said.
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“After due deliberations and some discussion on concerns of various sections of society, the Cabinet has decided to accept the recommendations of the Karnataka State Minorities Commission, which, based on the report of the expert committee headed by Justice Nagamohan Das, has recommended to consider grant of recognition as a religious minority to the Lingayat and Veerashaiva Lingayat, believers of Basava tatva,” said Jayachandra, reading out a statement.
The demand for a separate religion tag to Veerashaiva/ Lingayat faiths has surfaced from the numerically strong and politically-influential community, amidst resentment from within over projecting the two communities as the same.
While one section led by Akhila Bharata Veerashaiva Mahasabha has demanded separate religion status,asserting that Veerashaiva and Lingayats are the same, the other group wants it only for Lingayats as they believe that Veerashaiva is one among the seven sects of Shaivas, which is part of Hinduism.
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The Veerashaiva-Lingayat community that owes allegiance to the 12th century "social reform movement" initiated by Basaveshwara has a substantial population in Karnataka, especially in the northern parts of the state.
Pointing out that no representation has been provided for women during its constitution, the committee has also decided to give an opportunity to any interested party to submit their petitions along with documents before it.
It also said that opportunity would be provided to the petitioners for oral hearing, for which dates would be fixed during the next meeting.
Initial petitions that went to the committee included one arguing that Lingayats/Veerashaivas are Hindus, and the other by Akhila Bharata Veerashaiva Mahasabha demanding minority religion tag for them
