Ministers urge CM to take appropriate decision on Lingayat religion

Water Resources Minister M B Patil, Mines and Geology Minister Vinay Kulkarni, and MLC Basavaraj Horatti, who are leading the campaign seeking a separate religion tag for Lingayats, have urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to take a merit-based decision on making a recommendation to the Union government before the model code of conduct for the next Assembly elections comes into force.

2A category

There are three memoranda seeking separate religion tag for Lingayats including the one seeking 2A category for Veerashaivas. Let the chief minister take a decision by taking a legal opinion or forming an experts' committee. A decision based on merit has to be taken quickly since we presently have a chief minister who is in favour of Basava principles, Patil and Kulkarni said.

A Lingayat mega rally will be held at the Nehru Stadium in Hubballi on November 5.

In December, another mega rally will be organised in Bengaluru, which would be attended by more than 20 lakh people.

The struggle will continue till Lingayats gets a separate religion status, they added.