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Basavanna spoke truth fearlessly: Rahul makes Lingayat outreach ahead of K’taka polls
The Congress leader in his first public meeting after vacating his bungalow in the national capital remembered with gratitude Basavanna for laying the foundation for democracy and rights in the country.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday offered obeisance to 12th-century poet and social reformer Basavanna at Kudala Sangama in Bagalkote on his birth anniversary, which is being seen as an effort by the party to boost its Lingayat outreach ahead of the assembly polls in the state.
On the occasion of Basava Jayanti, the Congress leader in his first public meeting after vacating his bungalow in the national capital remembered with gratitude Basavanna for laying the foundation for democracy and rights in the country.
“Basavanna did not leave the path of truth throughout his life and spoke truth without any fear. It is not easy to speak the truth before society. Despite threats, Basavanna did not deviate from the path of truth and questioned bad practices in the society, so he is respected till today,” Gandhi said.
Kudala Sangama, situated at the confluence of the Krishna and Malaprabha rivers in Bagalakote district, is a pilgrim centre. It is the site of the Aikya Mantapa, or the holy samadhi of Basaveshwara, popularly known as Basavanna, the founder of the Lingayat sect, along with a linga, which is believed to be self-born.
On his arrival in Hubballi from Delhi, the former Congress president travelled to Kudala Sangama by helicopter for the visit to Sangamanatha temple and of the Aikya Linga. Accompanied by Congress general secretary K C Venugopal, former chief minister Siddaramaiah, state Congress campaign committee chief M B Patil and other leaders, Gandhi later participated in the Basava Jayanti celebrations. Seers from several Lingayat mutts were present on the occasion.
“Today we are paying floral tribute to him (Basavanna). But when he was alive, he would have been attacked. But he didn’t step back from the path of truth. This is why we paid floral tribute to him. We don’t give floral tribute to those who don’t raise questions, speak against the injustice of society,” Gandhi said.
Gandhi’s visit is seen as an attempt by the Congress to bolster the Lingayat outreach ahead of the May 10 assembly polls in the state. Lingayats are a dominant community constituting about 17% of the state’s population, largely seen as the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s vote bank.
In Hubballi, Gandhi also met former chief minister Jagadish Shettar, who recently joined the party after being denied a ticket by the BJP in the elections. Shettar was one of the prominent Lingayat leaders in the BJP alongside former chief minister BS Yediyurappa.
Shettar’s resignation is likely to have ripple effects in his home town of Hubbali-Dharwad, a politically significant region in the state, experts said. The loss another Lingayat heavyweight, Laxman Savadi, to the Congress, could pose a challenge for the ruling BJP.
Gandhi also held a massive roadshow in Vijayapura on Sunday, waving at a large, enthusiastic crowd that had lined up on both sides of the route. The Congress leader once again raked up the Adani issue to attack the Narendra Modi government. He called BJP government the most corrupt in the country, which takes a minimum of 40% commission for any work to be done.
“The BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi talk about Basavanna, but don’t act according to his ideals. Basavanna said help the downtrodden, not the big industrialists. I’ve read his teachings. He has never written that the country’s wealth be given to Adani,” Gandhi said.
“I asked in Parliament about PM Modi’s relationship with Adani. The country’s huge wealth is going to him. First, they turned off my mike, and then erased my speech from the records. Finally, they removed me from the Lok Sabha. They think truth can only be spoken in Lok Sabha, but it can be said anywhere,” he said.
Meanwhile, BY Vijayendra, BJP’s candidate from Shikaripura constituency in Shivamogga district and son of Yediyurappa, hit out at Gandhi on Sunday for seeking the support of Lingayats only during elections. Asking the Congress leader a series of questions, Vijayendra said unless Gandhi’s visit is to repent for past misdeeds, his hypocrisy is well known.
“What is with Congress & its new unfound love & respect for Lingayats during elections? Where was this affection when Veerendra Patil or Nijalingappa were humiliated in past? Did you conveniently forget Anna Basavanna & his teachings while trying to divide Veerashaiva Lingayats?” Vijayendra tweeted.
“Congress under Veerendra Patil had won with a huge majority of 178 seats in 1989 elections. But the arrogance & disdain of Cong leadership towards a hugely popular Lingayat CM cost them dearly & rightfully relegated to negligence in subsequent elections. Congress is fighting for survival & hanging by a thin thread in the state of Karnataka. They seemed to have lost all hope in 2023 & hence desperately trying all dubious methods,” he further said in his tweets.
The ruling BJP and the opposition Congress have been involved in a war of words over naming a Lingayat chief minister in the state. On Saturday, opposition leader Siddaramaiah accused Bommai, also a Lingayat, as the “root of all the corruption in the state.”
The BJP was quick to respond, and accused Siddaramaiah of insulting the entire Lingayat community. However, Siddaramaiah later clarified that his comment was aimed only at the chief minister.
Polling will be held in Karnataka on May 10 to elect a new assembly, the counting of which will be done on May 13.
(With inputs from agencies)
