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Stepping up the Congress party’s outreach to the Lingayat community in North Karnataka, Rahul Gandhi kicked off his two-day tour of the state Sunday by attending the Basava Jayanti events held to mark the birth anniversary of Basavanna, the 12th-century reformer who founded the Lingayat sect.
Addressing a public meeting at Vijaypura, Rahul attacked the BJP and RSS for their “divisive ideologies” which, he said, were incompatible with the ideals of Basavanna.
Earlier in the day Rahul visited Kudala Sangama in Bagalkot district, where Sangamanath Temple, one of the major Lingayat temples, and Basava Mantapa, a monument built to honour Basavanna, are located. The Congress leader participated in a Basava Jayanti event at the Mantapa before leaving to hit the campaign trail in Vijaypura for his road show and rally there.
“Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) and BJP leaders talk about Basavanna. But, they don’t know what he taught,” Rahul told the gathering at Vijaypura following his roadshow.
Hailing Basavanna, Rahul said he had given to the people the message of helping the poor and weak. “Basavanna did not teach us to help billionaires. I have read Basavanna. He has not written anywhere that resources be given away to Adani,” he said, targeting PM Modi.
The guarantees made by the Congress for the Karnataka polls are based on the saint’s ideals to protect women and help the poor, Rahul said, listing them — a Gruha Lakshmi scheme promising Rs 2,000 each for every woman head of the family; Gruha Jyothi, or 200 units of free power; Yuva Nidhi, promising unemployment allowance; and Anna Bhagya. pledging free 10 kg rice per member of a family.
Rahul’s visit is part of the Congress’s continued bid to reach out to the influential Lingayat community, which will play a key role in determining the outcome of the polls.
In August last year, Rahul had visited Sri Jagadguru Murugharajendra Mutt in Chitradurga and taken “Ishtalinga Deeksha” — an initiation into the Lingayat sect.
The BJP attacked Rahul’s “new unfound love” for Lingayats, saying the Congress was struggling for its survival, and that the community would never fall for such “pretensions”.
BJP fielded vice-president B Y Vijayendra, the son of its tallest Lingayat leader B S Yediyurappa, to take on the Congress. He asked where the party’s affection for the community was when former Lingayat CMs such as Veerendra Patil or Nijalingappa were “humiliated” by the party. “Did you conveniently forget Anna Basavanna and his teachings while trying to divide Veerashaiva Lingayats?” he said, in a reference to the Congress government’s move to declare Lingayats as a separate religious community ahead of the 2018 Assembly polls.
