Senior Congress leader hits out at Siddaramaiah over Lingayat

Veteran Karnataka Congress leader Shamanur Shivashankarappa on Sunday asserted Veerashaivas and Lingayats are two faces of the same coin and hit out at his party colleague and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, accusing him of having tried to divide the community in the past.

He was reacting to Siddaramaiah's statement onSaturday that 'Basava Dharma' was an independent religion, which is neither inside nor outside of Hinduism.

"... let's not discuss those issues, we have been saying same thing since beginning that Veerashaiva and Lingayat are one, two faces of the same coin, we are following it," Shivashankarappa, also the President of All India Veerashaiva Mahasabha, said.

Speaking to reporters, he said, "let's not try to break it, we are all united."
Responding to a question about Siddaramaiah's remarks, he said, "is Siddaramaiah a Lingayat? He has given his opinion, what can I do with it? He tried to divide it, but sidetracked as he could not..."