Lingayat Panchamasali community holds massive convention, calls for 2A reservation

Speaking at a convention of the Panchamasali community in Bengaluru, State Mines and Geology Minister Murugesh R Nirani has vowed to include the Lingayat Panchamasali community under the 2-A category of the other backward classes (OBC) list.

Bengaluru: Mines and Geology Minister Murugesh R Nirani vowed to include the Lingayat Panchamasali community under the 2-A category of the other backward classes (OBC) list at a convention of the Panchamasali community in Bengaluru.

Addressing the massive convention at the Bengaluru Palace Ground, Nirani said the demand to include the Panchamasali community under the 2A category has been echoing for the past three decades.

The convention was held to bring pressure on the government

“Panchamasali community forms a big chunk of population among Veerashaiva-Lingayat society. Our community’s main occupation is agriculture; some people are employed in government and semi-government organizations. And there are few traders and very few entrepreneurs. Our community is socially, educationally and economically backwards. The Panchamasali community actively took part in the freedom movement of the country and many warriors such as Kittur Rani Chennamma, Belawadi Mallamma, Keladi Chennamma and others sacrificed their lives for independence,” stated Nirani.

Recalling the struggle for including the community under 3B category, the mines minister said BS Yediyurappa as the Chief Minister in 2008, included our community under the 3B category though he made all the efforts to bring it under 2A category but was unsuccessful due to legal hurdles.

Mr Nirani said the CM has responded positively to the demand by writing to the Karnataka Backward Classes Commission to conduct a study and submit a report. "The Chief Minister has been following the due procedures so that there won’t be any legal hurdles after the inclusion of the community under 2A category,” the minister added.

The government has ordered the formation of Karnataka Veerashaiva-Lingayat Development Corporation (KVLDC) and wanted to send the proposal to the central government to include all the sub-sects in the backward classes category with the cabinet nod but unable to proceed further.