Congress advices leaders to skip Lingayat issue during campaign

Bengaluru: The Congress high command has recommended its Karnataka leaders to avoid mentioning the Lingayat issue in election rallies apprehending that granting of separate religion tag to the Lingayat community may effect on the party in the Assembly elections.

A senior Congress leader said that the leaders of the state advised the high command that the Veerashaiva-Lingayat issue may demonstrate negative for the party in the elections, the central leaders need to tread cautiously on the issue. 

Additionally, an investigation of the responses to the issue via social networking media done by the party shows that people in general overflow against the state government and the Congress. 

Despite the fact that the Congress needed to look for votes on developmental issues, for example, distribution of free rice, development of roads and providing drinking water, just the Veerashaiva-Lingayat issue was ruling the media, said the leader. 

The Congress big shots has likewise recommended the state leaders to keep up the line that the state government has no part in conceding separate religion tag to Lingayats and, it just sent the demand that originated from the group itself. 

Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who has been touring Karnataka also intentionally abstained from talking on the issue during his meetings and talks. 

To contain additional harm to the party, a portion of the state leaders have likewise recommended the top brass that Rahul ought to heighten his visits in the Lingayat-Veerashaiva commanded territories, generally in north Karnataka and visit their religious foundations to communicate something specific that the Congress isn’t against them. 

The congress leader said “With BJP national president Amit Shah giving a turn to the issue by expressing that the Congress needed to separate the group to avert state BJP president B S Yeddyurappa (a Lingayat leader) from turning into the Chief Minister, we need to counter it firmly,”

Of the aggregate 224 Assembly sections in the state, Veerashaiva-Lingayats have a sizable nearness in around 125 constituency, especially in Central and North Karnataka districts. “In spite of the fact that Veerashaiva-Lingayats are considered as the significant help base of the BJP, in the 2013 Assembly decisions, more than 21 from the group won on the Congress ticket. In this way, we can’t summarily expel the group individuals as BJP voters,” the leader said.