Some Lingayat organisations took out a rally in Belagavi on Sunday in protest against what they called an attempt at character assassination of Mathe Mahadevi by Rambhapuri Jagadguru Sri Prasannarenuka Veera Someshwara Swami.
Men and women walked from the Kannada Bhavan premises and gathered at the Rani Channamma Circle. They shouted slogans against the seer for alleging that Mathe Mahadevi had illicit relationships with Sri Lingananda Swami, some decades ago. They alleged that during an interview to a private TV channel, the seer referred to a letter written by an angry follower to Mathe Mahadevi alleging that she had had illicit relationships with Lingananda Swami.
They said that the allegations were unfounded and baseless. The seer has not only insulted Mathe Mahadevi but also the whole womankind, they said. They said that Mathe Mahadevi had been professing the faith preached by Basaveshwara for over five decades and had published around 200 books after painstaking research. Just because she happens to be a woman, some leaders in this male-dominated society don’t like her, they said.
They burnt an effigy of the seer and sought strict legal action against him.
Members of the Kranti Gangotri Akka Nagalambika Mahila Dala, Rashtriya Basava Dal, Ganachara Dal and others were present.
Sunanda Malagi, Anand Gudas and Sharan Prasad have signed a memorandum they submitted to the government.