Offer Dy CM post to Shettar, Veerashaiva body, urges Congress

In a letter addressed to chief minister Siddaramaiah on September 30 , the Mahasabha stated that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lost the recent assembly election because it neglected the Veerashaiva community

Belagavi: The Hubballi unit of Akhil Bharat Veerashaiva Mahasabha has urged the Congress government to offer the position of deputy chief minister (DCM) to former Karnataka chief minister Jagadish Shettar, keeping an eye on the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The Veerashaivas believe that this move could help the party achieve its ‘target-20’ goal of winning 20 out of the total 28 seats in the state.

Shettar told HT that he would always be grateful to the Congress for supporting him at a crucial time (HT Photo)

In a letter addressed to chief minister Siddaramaiah on September 30 , the Mahasabha stated that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lost the recent assembly election because it neglected the Veerashaiva community. The Congress could reach its goal of winning 20 seats by prioritising the community in the government and offering a DCM post to Shettar, it added, the letter was also signed by the Lingayat community.

HT has seen this letter.

The letter comes days after Congress MLA Shamanur Shivashankarappa, who is the president of Akhila Bharatha Veerashaiva Mahasabha, the apex body of the Veerashaiva community, raised his concerns regarding the unfair treatment of the Veerashaiva community in official postings.

Manjunath Yadravi, the president of the Mahasabha’s Hubballi taluk unit urged for the inclusion of Shettar in the cabinet by appointing him as deputy chief minister with a powerful and influential portfolio in the ministry, which could benefit the party in the upcoming election.

The letter also pointed out that Lingayats and Veerashaivas, who played a significant role in establishing the Yeddiyurappa government, turned away from the BJP due to its neglect of these communities, which are numerically dominant in North Karnataka. “The Congress won a clear majority in the last assembly election thanks to the support of this community, which had ‘boycotted’ the BJP due to its negligence,” the letter said.

Shettar must be given a dignified position in the government, as he is not only one of the most senior politicians and a former chief minister but also one of the most influential personalities among the Veerashaivas-Lingayat community in this region, it added.

The letter claimed that the Congress could win at least 10 seats in the 13 northern range districts, including the Kalaburagi region, if the community is given importance and its members are fielded in the election. Most importantly, the election should be faced with Shettar’s leadership and a DCM post.

Yadravi stated that Veerashaiva-Lingayats are not happy with the BJP for making Shettar leave the party. They now regret working against the soft-natured leader Shettar in the last assembly election from Hubballi central constituency. “Our community now feels remorseful for opposing the leader Shettar and has decided to support him and follow his direction in the next Lok Sabha election,” the letter said.

“If you want to replicate the results of the assembly election in the Lok Sabha election, give top priority to our community by offering a DCM post to Shettar,” the letter quoted.

However, a senior Congress leader rebutted the community’s demand claiming that the party suffered a major setback by following Shivashankarappa’s advice to claim separate religious status for the Lingayat community during the last Congress government led by Siddaramaiah in 2018.

Shamanur Shivashankarappa, who was also the then state president of Akhil Bharatiya Veerashaiva Mahasabha, had insisted on the Siddaramaiah government to seek separate religious status for the Lingayat community. “This decision, made a year before the 2018 election, had a negative impact on the party,” said the leader, requesting anonymity.

Responding to the demand of the Veerashaiva community, Shettar told HT that he would always be grateful to the Congress for supporting him at a crucial time. “I will obey every order of the party. I have managed the CM’s post wisely, and I can do the same if given the DCM post. I am grateful to the Veerashaiva-Lingayat community for recommending me for the post,” Shettar said.

Vinay Navalgatti, the president of the Belagavi district Congress (Rural), stated that the party would be pleased if Shettar, with his vast experience in politics, is appointed as deputy chief minister. “The people of the state will witness better days if leaders like Shettar hold ministerial positions. No one will object to his nomination for the post,” Navalgatti said.