Religious minority tag to Lingayat is an ‘election gimmick’, says Karnataka BJP

BENGALURU: Karnataka BJP chief B S Yeddyurappa on Wednesday said the state government’s move to grant religious minority status to the Veerashaiva-Lingayat community was a “election gimmick” and accused Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of dividing people on emotional issues.

Yeddyurappa is a Lingayat strongman and BJP’s chief ministerial candidate for the coming Karnataka Assembly polls.

He also sought to know the need to rake up the issue of minority tag when the UPA government had rejected the separate religious status to Lingayats, reports PTI.

“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,” Yeddyurappa told reporters here.