Bengaluru: The state cabinet’s decision to accord the religious minority status to Lingayat and Veerashaiva Lingayat community, thereby creating a further divide in the society has come for criticism from several quarters, including few Congress leaders too, who opined that it is an one-sided decision.
A write-up, by former Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde seeking to know if he can now expect Siddaramaiah to divide himself as ‘Sidda’ and ‘Ramaiah’, on Tuesday, merely a day after the cabinet’s move has gone viral on the social media.
“Sir, I am not a politician. I am not interested in who will win the next elections, but sir whene will politics stop dividing us ordinary people?,” he said in a poser to the chief minister.
Hegde, however said that he would agree if the community wants itself to be divided but that the government had no business to recognise any community as a religion, and sacrcastically wondered if the CM would interfere in a dispute between a husband and wife.
“We are having a government under the constitution of India, a secular government. No political party, no government has any business to interfere in the internal affairs of any community.
“Can a chief minister say between husband and wife you divorce him and come and I will find a better groom for you. Yes, I am very much hurt… that’s why I wrote. I have been a judge at the Supreme Court. I know my limitations. How low can you get in?” questioned Hegde.
Furthermore he questioned if now the government would recognise either Digambar or Shwetambar as backwards, Shias or Sunnis as separate religions for recognition as backward, or Protestants or Roman Catholics as separate religions for offering backward status.
“Or which of left or right SC’s as more backwards. Or which of Bunts or Nadavas as a different religion and amongst them who is more backward and among Brahmins who will it be Vaishnavas or Shaivas or will you divide Siddaramaiah to Sidda and Ramaiah,” he probed.
The Karnataka cabinet on Monday agreed to consider Lingayats, as a separate religion and decided to forward the proposal to the Central government for approval and notification under the National Commission for Minorities Act. Lingayats and Veerashaiva Lingayats, who worship Hindu deity Shiva as their universal god, are the largest community (17 per cent) in the state, whose votes could influence the outcome of the state assembly election in April-May.
With PTI inputs
