Seer Sri Jaya Mruthyunjaya Swami
TUMAKURU: The Panchamasali Lingayats called off their long struggle for the 2A reservation tag, with seer Sri Jaya Mruthyunjaya Swami, who had led the community from the front, terming Friday’s resolution of the Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai cabinet to accord 7 per cent quota under the 2D category as a “first victory”.
“What we have asked for is a 2A reservation. But the government created a new reservation under the 2D category. Since there was a stay in the high court to get 2A reservation, the 7 per cent being given under 2D is the first historic victory for our struggle,” he mentioned.
But the decision to call off the strike was taken at the state executive committee meeting, with community members differing in their opinions, at Freedom Park, Bengaluru, where they had sat on dharna for 70 days. Congress leaders Vijayanand S Kashappanavar and Veena declared that they will be resigning from the Panchamasali Horata Samithi, while expressing their dissatisfaction with the cabinet decision, hoping for a 15 per cent quota.
But the seer and former Union minister Basanagouda Patil Yatnal tried to convince members to view the decision as a breakthrough.
“For the time being, we are calling off the two-year-old struggle, but the fight for a further hike in quota and to be included in the Centre’s OBC list will start after the Assembly polls in Karnataka,” the seer said.
“We are proud to say that we are a community that has allowed all Lingayat sub-castes and other communities to get a reservation through our struggle,” he remarked. He congratulated PM Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and CM Basavaraj Bommai, for reportedly trying to clear the court’s deadlock to give reservation, besides leaders from the community, especially Yatnal.
“I will meet the CM and the PM after getting a copy of the order from the government and leave for Kudala Sangama from Bengaluru,” he stated.
