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Quota agitation: Panchamasali Lingayats kick-off padayatra from Belagavi
The padayatra is a part of the community's massive show of strength in order to pressurise chief minister Basavaraj Bommai-led Karnataka government to meet their demand for reservation.
The Panchamasali Ligayat community on Thursday kick-started a massive padayatra from Karnataka's Belgavi, demanding further reservation for the community. The foot march, led by Kundalasangama Peetha's Jagadguru Basava Jaya Mruthynjaya Swamiji, was attended by a large number of community members who were seen wearing white clothes with saffron scarves around their neck.
The padayatra, started on Tuesday, is a part of the community's massive show of strength in order to pressurise chief minister Basavaraj Bommai-led Karnataka government to meet their demands. It will reach the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha, the state legislative assembly, and hold a meeting.
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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 foot march is seen as a significant move ahead of the upcoming assembly polls next year. Meanwhile, the community's demand is expected to be discussed in the state cabinet meeting on Thursday.
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.
The BJP had been stalling the demand to avoid opening up a pandora's box of similar demands from different sects of other dominant castes. The previous government in the state led by BS Yediyurappa, who comes from a different sub-sect of the Lingayat community, earlier appointed a committee to study the backwardness of the sect.
