Dilemma Dogs BJP over Quota for Panchamsalis

Muralidhara Khajane

Is Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Karnataka antagonising the dominant Lingayat community?

A closer look at the developments since the BJP came to power in 2019 reveals that the community’s aspirations are rising by the day and it has become an unswallowable morsel for a party. The saffron party banked heavily on Lingayat community to win the 2019 elections.

Moreover, the community gave nine chief ministers to the state, including incumbent Basavaraj Bommai. As of now, the government is facing a serious threat from the Panchamasali Lingayats, which set a June 27 deadline to meet the community’s demand for 2A quota reservations under the Other Backward Class (OBC) category for government jobs and education.

Basava Mrutyunjaya Swamiji, a prominent seer of the Panchamasalis and pontiff of Koodalasangama Panchamasali Peetha, recently warned that the community would launch an agitation outside the residence of Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai in his Assembly constituency in Shiggaon if the state fails to indicate its stand on the demand.

Swamiji’s demand came at a time when Akhila Bharata Veerashaiva-Lingayat Mahasabha urged the State Government to recommend to the Union government to include the community in the Central list of Other Backward Classes.

The Panchamasali sub-sect, which is categorised under 3B category, is demanding inclusion under 2A category that provides 15 % reservation in education and jobs. This demand of seeking share in OBC reservation matrix has really stirred up the hornet’s nest with questions being asked on its implications for the other 102 communities in this category.

Divided community

However, it appears that the Lingayat community is divided over the demand for 2A category reservation. Lingayat- Veerashaiva movement, which is demanding minority religion tag, is not in favour of fighting for Panchamasalis’ 2A category issue.

The concern of the movement is that it could affect unity in the community when it is looking to revive the movement to achieve the minority religion tag. Mate Gangadevi, pontiff of Kudalasangama Basava Dharma Peeta, has expressed her dissatisfaction over Panchamasali’s demand for 2A category.

According to her, it is the right time to claim minority religion status for the entire Lingayat-Veerashaiva community rather than demanding benefits for individual sub-sects. Asserting Panchamasali’s stand of intensifying the stir, Basava Mruthyunjaya Swamiji said that Chief Minister Bommai is also following the path of former Chief Minister B. S. Yeddiyurappa, who had promised to meet the community’s demand.

The BJP government has commissioned a study on the Panchamasali reservation, but it has not taken final shape. It even sought a report from the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes. Recently, Minister of Public Works, C. C. Patil and BJP’s top leader Basanagauda Patil Yatnal met K. Jayaprakash Hegde, Chairman Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes and appealed to him to submit the report on social and educational status of the Panchamasali community at the earliest.

Hegde, who joined BJP in 2017 after parting ways with Congress, said the Commission is working overnight to collect empirical data and the report will be submitted soon. Nevertheless, he asserts that the government has not set any deadline for the submission of the report. The BJP is making every effort to appease the Lingayat-Veerashaiva community with an aim to clinch next year’s Assembly election. But the community appears to be upset over the textbook revision and the treatment meted out by BJP to Lingayat leader B. S. Yeddiyurappa and his son.

Reacting to the predicament of BJP and Basavaraj Bommai, a senior BJP leader on condition ofanonymity said: “Panchamasali agitation is just a trailer, Picture Abhi Baki Hai”. Does it sound any signal?

(The author is a senior journalist in Bengaluru)