Dalits extend full support to religion status for Lingayat
Vijayapura: Chandrashekhar Kodabagi, a veteran Dalit leader, has said that the Dalit community extends full support to the demand for Lingayat religion for creating caste-less society which was fundamental to the struggle of the 12th century social reformer Basaveshwara.
Speaking at a recent Lingayat awareness programme at Buddha Vihar here, he said that Basaveshwara accepted and embraced all oppressed and downtrodden communities who were rejected and disowned by people who called themselves “superior and upper caste”.
“Basaveshwara gave identity and unity to all such people under his Anubhava Mantapa where he tried to remove superstition, caste system and inequality which was strongly rooted in society,” Mr. Kodabagi said.
He, however, regretted that a majority of Lingayat who were supposed to follow Basaveshwara’s ideologies, had adopted “Manu Vada” which believes in caste hierarchy and propagates inequality.
A majority of Lingayats have started following beliefs that went completely against Basaveshwara’s ideologies, which was a sad, unfortunate development and primarily, a historic blunder that only devalues the beliefs of Basaveshwara, he said.
Asserting that Lingayats are not Hindus, he said that at least now, Lingayat were trying to realise this fact and demanding religion status.
Several Dalit and Lingayat leaders were present.
Source: The Hindu
