Karnataka Water Resources Minister MB Patil and retired IAS officer and researcher SM Jamdaar released historical documents on Saturday, dating back to the 19th century, in an attempt to prove that Lingayat was not a part of Hindu religion back then.
The exhaustive documents were released at a press conference in Vijayapura, where Patil also claimed that Lingayat was recognised by the Mysore province in the census as a separate religion till 1881.
He produced a copy of the Mysore census of 1871, which states that Lingayat was recognised as a separate religion with 22 sub-castes and was not a part of Hindu religion, according to a report in The Hindu.
Backing it up with census data from Madras and Bombay states, Patil pointed out that the records recognised Lingayat as a separate religion.
“What is interesting is that in no records, there was mention of the caste called ‘Veerashaiva’, which the Veerashaivas today claim. 1891 was also the first time Veerashaiva emerged in the official census,” Patil said, speaking to The Hindu.
Patil also asserted that the demand for a separate Lingayat religion was not new and was started in 1942 by SK Wodeyar, a person of Jangama sect in Lingayat.
The duo has been playing an active role in spearheading the Lingayat movement for a separate religion. While Water Resources Minister MB Patil has publicly traded blows with BJP’s BS Yeddyurappa over the Lingayat issue, SM Jamdaar had called out the Pejawar Seer for a debate on the issue.
“Considering all the documents, we are hopeful of getting a separate Lingayat religion tag. We only urge the Chief Minister to recommend to the Union government to consider our demand on merit basis before February 15, after which the election code of conduct would possibly come into effect,” Patil said.
He added that five recommendations, three of which were related to the Lingayat issue, have been sent to the CM.