Daijiworld Media Network - Bagalkot (SP)

Bagalkot, Sep 14: Spiritual head of Basavadharma Peeta at Koodalasangama here, Mate Mahadevi, said  that she has heard that BJP offered the lure of Bharat Ratna honour for Siddagang Math Swamiji of Tumakuru to make him change his stand on giving separate religion status to Lingayat. She said that the Swamiji advocated a unified Lingayat-Veerashaiva religion by claiming that both of them are the same, after he fell to the lure of the BJP.

Mate Mahadevi is already surrounded by controversy after speaking out against the Siddaganga Swamiji on this issue in thepast. On Wednesday, she addressed a press meet and objected to clarification issued by the Swamiji. She asserted that former chief minister, B S Yeddyurappa and other BJP leaders had offered to bestow the highest civilian honour of the country, Bharat Ratna,  on the Swamiji in return for his changing his stand.

She said that water resources minister, M B Patil, had told the truth when he said that the Swamiji had supported creation of separate Lingayat religion. She said that some pro-Veerashaiva elements, using their nearness to the Swamiji, have misused the age-related loss of memory of the Swamiji and succeeded in extracting his statement claiming that Veerashaiva and Lingayat communities are one and the same. While assuring that she has tremendous respect for the Swamiji, she suspected that pro-Veerashaiva forces might have prepared the said letter and obtained Swamiji's signature on it. She advised M B Patil to continue  his fight for religious tag for  Lingayat without getting disturbed at  efforts being made against it by Yeddyurappa and others.