Panchamasali community threatens stir over show cause notice to Yatnal

Panchamasali community pontiff Basava Jaya Mruthyunjaya Swami on Saturday warned stir over show cause notice to Basanagouda Patil Yatnal. The seer along with BJP legislator Yatnal and Congress leader Vijayanand Kashappanavar has been leading the 465 km march from Kudalasangama that will culminate in Bengaluru, with a rally scheduled on February 21.

Bengaluru: A day after the BJP's central disciplinary committee issued a show cause notice to its legislator from Vijayapura in Karnataka, Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, for his remarks against Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, Panchamasali community pontiff Basava Jaya Mruthyunjaya Swami on Saturday warned of laying siege to the Vidhan Soudha here if the notice is not withdrawn.

Taking a dig at Yediyurappa's son B.Y. Vijayendra, who is also the state BJP vice president, Basava said that everyone is aware of those behind serving the show cause notice to Yatnal.

"I know that a senior BJP leader's son is behind such an act. If the BJP does not withdraw its show cause notice then we will lay siege to the Vidhan Soudha. By issuing show cause notice to Yatnal they are trying to derail our movement, hence, we will make a serious attempt to gherao the Vidhan Soudha once we reach Bengaluru," he said.

The seer along with BJP legislator Yatnal and Congress leader Vijayanand Kashappanavar has been leading the 465 km march from Kudalasangama that will culminate in Bengaluru, with a rally scheduled on February 21.

Panchamasali, the largest sub-sect within the dominant Lingayat community to which Yatnal and Kashappanavar belong, while Yediyurappa belongs to the Banajiga sub-sect, have demanded that their existing reservation category be changed from 3B to 2A.

Their march reached Tumkuru, about 60 km from Bengaluru, on Friday night as the delegation stayed at the renowned Siddaganaga Matha here.

"Yatnal and Kashappanavar are the two pillars of this movement. The community will stand by them if the parties try to exert any kind of pressure on them," he said.

(IANS)