Rahul Gandhi initiated into Lingayat sect by Murugha Math head seer

Former president of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday visited the Murugha Math, one of the important religious centres for the Lingayat community, in Chitradurga, joining a long of list of political leaders who have marked their presence in the monastery in recent times

Former president of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday visited the Murugha Math, one of the important religious centres for the Lingayat community, in Chitradurga, joining a long of list of political leaders who have marked their presence in the monastery in recent times.

Rahul Gandhi with Murugha Math seer in Chitradurga. (HT Photo)

Several other seers associated with the Murugha Math were also present.

Gandhi was also given the ‘Lingadeekshe’ or ceremonially initiated into the Lingayat sect by the head seer, Sri Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru. Gandhi was also introduced as a “follower of Basavanna”, the 12th century social and religious reformer.

“He is a big follower of Basavanna. Congress philosophy is Basavanna philosophy,” DK Shivakumar, the president of the state unit of the party, told the head seer while referring to Gandhi.

The visit assumes significance as this is an influential monastery and may increase the party’s chances of earning the goodwill of Lingayat community, believed to be the single largest caste group in Karnataka.

However, the Lingayats have supported the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader BS Yediyurappa since 2000. Rahul Gandhi’s visit is seen as a move by the Congress to win back some of the support lost to the saffron outfit in recent elections.

BJP national president JP Nadda had visited the Matha in June while Union home minister Amit Shah had visited the monastery just before the 2018 assembly elections.

Even if political, the maths rarely turn down such visits, treating everyone equally.

Though maths were traditionally only into social and religious duties, people who are aware of their workings, said that there has been a growing involvement of some of these entities in politics especially since the 1980’s.

Seer Haveri Hosamutt Swami meanwhile said that Gandhi will become Prime Minister as he had been initiated into the Lingayat sect. “Indira Gandhiji was PM, Rajiv Gandhi also and now Rahul Gandhi has been initiated into Lingayat sect, and he will become the PM,” the seer said, as reported by a news channel.

However, Sri Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru interrupted and added: “Please don’t say this... This is not the platform. People will decide.”

“Our math welcomes people and politicians from all faiths, communities and political parties. There is no discrimination here. We love humankind and this means that we love the entire universe,” the head seer was quoted as saying by another news channel.

In March, 2018, Siddaramaiah-led Congress government, just two months before the assembly elections, had decided to accord a minority religion status to the Lingayats and Veerashaiva Lingayats (used interchangeably but also considered a sub-sect) with the aim at splitting the community’s significantly large voter base. However, the move had backfired and the party was reduced to under 80 seats in 2018 as the BJP portrayed it as an attempt to break the ‘Hindu’ society and split the Lingayats and Veerashaivas.