Mysuru: Senior MLC and former Minister Basavaraj Horatti, who is also the President of Swatantra Lingayat Dharma Vedike, has asserted that there was no political motive behind the demand for separate Lingayat religion tag. Speaking after inaugurating the Lingayat Cultural Committee at Nataraja Sabhabhavan, Hosamutt, Agrahara in city yesterday, Horatti said that one should not get confused over the demand for separate Lingayat religion as the demand was meant for societal good. Clarifying that he had no personal interest in the Movement for separate Lingayat religion, he maintained that Lingayats were being academically, economically and socially exploited. Claiming that the Panchapeethas had misunderstood the Movement, Horatti asserted that he, Ministers M.B. Patil and Vinay Kulkarni and other community leaders, are spearheading the Movement, setting aside political interests. Continuing, the MLC said that the then Home Minister of the UPA Government Sushil Kumar Sindhe had turned down an appeal made to the Centre seeking separate Lingayat religion tag, on the grounds that the term Veerashaiva Lingayat contained the word ‘Shaiva.’ Stating that there were 1.44 crore Lingayats in Maharashtra, 45 lakh in Tamil Nadu, 60 lakh in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and 1.53 crore in Karnataka, he said that despite this numbers, the community was deprived of reservation in jobs and education. He stressed on the needs for all community Mutts, including Panchapeetha and Virakta Mutts, to come together and join the struggle for separate Lingayat religion tag.
