Lingayats protest against Yatnal in Bidar, seek his resignation from Assembly membership

Lingayat leaders submitting a memorandum, addressed to the Speaker, to the office of the Deputy Commissioner in Bidar on Tuesday.
| Photo Credit: GOPICHAND T.

Condemning BJP leader and Vijayapura MLA Basangouda Patil Yatnal for his remarks on 12th Century reformer Basavanna, members of the Lingayat community took out a protest march and staged a demonstration outside the office of the Deputy Commissioner in Bidar on Tuesday.

Organised under the banners of different community organisations, including Rashtriya Basava Dal, Lingayat Dharma Mahasabha, Kranti Gangotri Akkanagalambika Mahila Gana, Basava Kendra and Sasava Seva Pratishtana, the protestors gathered at Basaveshwar Circle in the city and marched through the major streets to reach the Deputy Commissioner’s office.

They raised slogans condemning Mr. Yatnal and demanding his resignation from his Assembly membership.

Stating that the Karnataka government has declared Basavanna as cultural ambassador of the State, the agitating activists said that Mr. Yatnal insulted the people of Karnataka by insulting their cultural leader and demanded that the government take legal action against him.

“During a recent agitation in Bidar against the notices issued to farmers about the alleged encroachment of Waqf property, Mr. Yatnal said that Basavanna had committed suicide by jumping into a river. It was not only baseless but also aggressive so as to hurt the feelings of the followers of Basavanna. Mr. Yatnal attempted to project Vishwaguru Basavanna as a coward with his statement. Lingayats should boycott him. The government should take action against him and his Assembly membership should be suspended,” Channabasavananda Swamy, head of Channabasaveshwara Gnanapeetha, Bengaluru, said during the agitation.

Prabhudeva Swamy of Lingayata Mahamatha warned that the agitation will continue till Mr. Yatnal tendered an unconditional apology for insulting the social reformer.

Later, the agitators submitted a memorandum, addressed to the Speaker, to the office of the Deputy Commissioner.

Srikanth Swamy, Sharanappa Mithare, Om Prakash Rotti, Shivaraj Patil Atiwal, Ganapati Deshmukh, Basavanthrao Biradar, Ashok Sheelavanth, Sanjeev Kumar Chondi, Ganesh Biradar, Neelamma Swamy, Sunitha Biaradar, Nirmala Nelange and other community leaders were present.