Koppal, Nov 25 (IANS): Kudalasangama Panchamasali Peeth seer Basavaraj Jaya Mruthyunjaya Swami warned on Monday that they plan to lay siege to the Karnataka Assembly with 5,000 tractors while expressing unhappiness over Chief Minister Siddaramaiah not responding to the demand of providing reservation to Panchamasali Lingayats.

“Siddaramaiah responds to the demands of other communities but is not bothered to respond to Panchamasali Lingayats. All members of Panchamasali Lingayats should take part in the agitation. If people get provoked at any point, the government will be responsible. This time we are not fasting, we are launching a forceful agitation,” he said.

He claimed the state government is not responding to the agitation of Panchamasali Lingayats while Siddaramaiah has “responded” to others. “We have decided to lay siege to Karnataka Assembly with 5,000 tractors during the winter session,” he said.

He claimed that Congress came to power with the support of the Lingayat community. “Legislators from our community have not said anything as of yet. They should raise their voice in the session and support our movement. The legal battle is waged in the court. The legislators and ministers of the community used to raise the issue during the BJP government but they have kept mum now,” he claimed.

He added that the Chief Ministers earlier used to come down to meet the community but now the situation has changed and he is not responding to Lingayat pleas.

When asked about Panchamasali Lingayats not voting for former CM Basavaraj Bommai's son in bypolls and voted the Congress candidate, the seer stated that it is wrong to drag the matters of the community into the matter of defeat of Bommai's son in the election.

"I won't give a message to the community in this regard. The bypolls were held on local matters. BJP candidate has got more than 80,000 votes and it shows the Panchamasali Lingayats have voted for him," the seer claimed.