Over one lakh Panchamasali Lingayats, a prominent sub-sect of the dominant Lingayat community, on Thursday held a padayatra (foot march) in Karnataka’s Belagavi demanding higher reservations. The community is demanding a share of the 15 per cent reservation given to Other Backward Castes (OBCs) in the state instead of a separate 5 per cent quota allotted to Lingayats.
Visuals shared by news agency ANI showed hundreds of members from the community marching in Belagavi on Thursday demanding more reservations.
The march comes amid the ongoing Winter Session of the Karnataka legislature in ‘disputed’ Belagavi, which the state had declared as its second capital, amid the decades-old Maharashtra-Karnataka border row. Maharashtra stakes claim to Belagavi with the argument that a majority of Marathi-speaking population resides in the Belagavi (earlier Belgaum) district, which Karnataka disputes. The name was changed to Belagavi in 2014 after then union home minister Rajnath Singh gave his approval to the proposal that the Karnataka government had made in October 2006.
The Panchamasali activists led by seer Jaya Mruthyunjay Swamy began a march last Tuesday to the Suvarna Soudha in Belagavi, and reached the border on Wednesday, IE reported.
Bommai’s woes ahead of Karnataka elections 2023
The march comes barely months ahead of the Karnataka election which is due in May 2023. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who is already battling on several fronts, faces a new challenge in the form of protests by the politically influential community. Notably, the activists protesting today have the support of several BJP MLAs and ministers who are from the sub-sect.
Lingayats, who constitute about 15 per cent of the state’s population, hold tremendous sway in a large section of voters and also form the BJP’s core vote base. A protest from within this section of voters can potentially add to the woes of the Chief Minister who has managed to somehow retain his chair despite several hurdles within.
His rift with former CM BS Yediyurappa, the protest from within by former ministers over their non-inclusion in the Cabinet and the challenge of maintaining a balance in the Cabinet rejig which has also received the assent of Home minister Amit Shah are just some of the challenges that Bommai faces as the polls near. With pressure from this sub-sect of the Lingayats to come to a decision ahead of the elections, only makes the situation trickier for the incumbent CM.
Reservations in Karnataka
As per the current reservations in Karnataka, 4 per cent is reserved for the Backward Castes (category 1), 15 per cent for the OBCs (category II A), for Muslims four per cent (category II B), for Vokkaliga and others it is 4 per cent (category III A), for Lingayat and others five per cent (category III B).
The Scheduled Castes have a 17 per cent reservation share and Scheduled Tribes have a seven per cent share. In total, the reservations share stands at 56 per cent, a six per cent above the Supreme Court cap of 50 per cent. Other states that have more than 50 per cent reservation include Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Chattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.
Who are the Lingayats?
Of the six crore population in Karnataka, the politically influential Lingayat, classified as a Hindu sub-caste called Veerashaiva Lingayats, community holds 17 per cent, and has the capacity to determine the outcome of elections in as many as 90-100 of the 224-member Karnataka Assembly.
They are followers of the 12th-century philosopher Saint Basavanna, who started a movement to break away from the shackles of the caste system.
Several influential politicians in the state are from the Lingayat community, including former Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa.
What is their main demand?
The Veerashaiva Lingayats have been provided five per cent reservation under a special category called 3B. The Panchamasali Lingayats, who are basically agriculturists and account for nearly 70 per cent of Lingayats are demanding reservations under the category 2A, which currently provides 15 per cent reservations to backward castes, reports IE.
Their inclusion in OBC Central list would mean 27 per cent reservation in central government services and educational institutions under the Centre.
The demand was by BJP MLA Basavaraj Patil Yatnal and two prominent seers, Jaya Basava Mruthyunjaya Swami and Vachananda Swami.