Davanagere (Karnataka) : All India Veerashaiva-Lingayat Mahasabha passed a resolution calling for caste census, saying that it should be conducted scientifically, based on the actual social, educational, and economic backwardness of the Veerashaiva-Lingayat community including all sub-sects in Karnataka. The resolution was passed at the 24th session of the two-day Veerashaiva Lingayat Mahasabha held at Davanagere.
The caste census, a survey of social and educational status that is the subject of hot political debate in the state, is about eight years old. Its contents are said to have been leaked before it was officially approved. Hence Mahasabha urged that, the government should not accept the Kantharaj Commission report on the caste census.
Notably, Shamanur Shivshankarappa, Senior Congress MLA and Mahasabha National President, presented these important resolutions of the session. Panditaradhya Swamiji of Sanehalli, former CM B S Yeddyurappa, Ministers Ishwar Khandre, Lakshmi Hebbalkar, and many others were present.
The Mahasabha resolved that their community remains committed to protecting the country's integrity, unity, and security. The great humanist Jagajyoti Basaveshwara, who built the concept of Parliament through Anubhava Mantapa in the 12th century, is timeless, it said. In this background, the government should officially declare Vishwaguru Basavanna as the cultural leader of the state, the Mahasabha said.
The Veerashaiva-Lingayat community has millions of poor people, who are socially, educationally, and economically very backward. Therefore, the State Government should recommend to the Government of India to include all sub-sects of the Veerashaiva-Lingayat community in the list of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) of the Central Government. Central Government should accept this recommendation, the Mahasabha said in its resolution.
It also resolved that during the census to be conducted by the government in the coming days, the members of our society should not write the names of Hindus and their sub-castes, but should write Veerashaiva or Lingayat in the column of religion.
The government should purchase and develop the former Chief Minister Nijalingappa's residence at Chitradurga and take steps to construct the memorial by August 8, 2024, the day of remembrance.
Read More
