Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief ministerial candidate in Karnataka BS Yeddyurappa has called the decision to grant separate religion status to Lingayat community a ‘political gimmick’.

He further asked why was such a move needed when earlier UPA government at the centre had denied granting separate religion status to Lingayats.

“Siddaramaiah is dividing society on emotional issues. There is not just one Lingayat-Veerashaiva. The move to give religion tag to Lingayats is an election gimmick. It is an attempt to mislead people,” said Yeddyurappa.

On Monday, Karnataka cabinet had approved the demand of Lingayat seers and granted them a separate religion status on the recommendations of a committee headed by former judge HN Nagamohan Das. The move is seen as an appeasement tactic before the Karnataka state assembly election scheduled in May this year.

Karnataka State Minorities Commission had appointed a seven-member committee to submit a report on whether to grant Lingayat community as a separate religion which was headed by retired high court judge HN Nagamohan Das. The report, submitted to the government on March 2, said the community can be granted a separate religion status.
Other leaders including Union minister Arjun Ram Meghwal and Veerashaiva Lingayat Samanvaya Samiti President Chandrashekhar Hiremath also opposed the decision of Karnataka government which comes two months before the state goes to poll in May this year