Bengaluru, 7 Oct

Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara said that it must be clarified whether the Veerashaiva-Lingayat religion and the Lingayat religion are the same or different religions. He stressed that this decision must be made by the community itself.

"First, it must be clarified whether the Veerashaiva-Lingayat religion and the Lingayat religion are the same or different. This decision should be made by the community itself. Lingayats and Veerashaivas keep saying every day that they are different from each other. If this confusion is resolved first, everything else will fall into place," Parameshwara said.

He defended Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's remarks at the closing ceremony of the Basava cultural campaign. Siddaramaiah had said, "Caste system is rooted in our society. To uproot this caste system, Basavanna launched a separate religion (Lingayat)."

"The CM did not speak about any religious matters at the Basava event. He did not talk about religion or religious issues," Parameshwara claimed.

Earlier, State BJP President BY Vijayendra had accused Siddaramaiah of attempting to divide Lingayats and Veerashaivas through the caste census.