Members of Panchamasali Lingayat community on Friday held a protest in front of the Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai’s residence over “lack of clarity” in providing reservation to them. They have been demanding reservation under 2A section of the other background classes (OBC) category. Kudalasangama Peetha’s Jagadguru Basava Jaya Mruthynjaya Swamiji, the seer who has been leading the protests, reminded CM Bommai’s promise by “swearing on his mother” to provide appropriate reservation to the community.
“CM had promised and swore on his mother that he will give 2A reservation on Dec 29. We asked for 2A reservation but they gave 2D. CM made a mistake by swearing on his mother. So we’re doing satyagraha in front of CM’s house for one day,” he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Read| Karnataka HC stays 2 new quota categories for Vokkaligas and Lingayats
The demonstration came amid Karnataka high court’s stay order on providing separate OBC category to Lingayats along with Vokkaligas, another dominant community in the state, in education and government jobs. The state has four categories of OBC: 2A, 2B, 3A and 3B based on the economic, social and educational status.
However, the state government decided to create new categories – 2C and 2D – and abolish 3A and 3B categories, positioning both dominant communities in newly formed divisions.
Earlier, the Panchamasali Lingayat community carried out a foot march as a show of strength in order to pressurise the CM.
Read| Two BJP leaders’ tussle divides Panchamsalis over reservation
The Panchamasali is a sub-sect of the politically dominant Veerashaiva-Lingayat community and a strong voter base in the state for the Bharatiya Janata Party. The community is demanding inclusion in the 2A section of the other background classes (OBC) category which will avail them a 15 percent reservation in educational and professional sectors. The community is already categorised under 3B section of OBC which allows five percent reservation.
The quota agitation by Panchamasali Lingayats was triggered by BJP MLA Murugesh Nirani and later by BJP leader Basanagouda Patil Yatnal. The community has cited poverty as one of the reasons for their demands for OBC reservations.
