Karnataka   

Mahasabha heading for a split?

By Our Staff Correspondent

TUMKUR, JAN. 8. The All India Veerashaiva Mahasabha, the 100-year-old representative body of the Veerashaivas, seems to heading for a split.

Meeting

The President of the mahasabha, Bhemanna Khandre, has convened a meeting of its executive committee on Sunday to consider a proposal to change the names of the mahasabha and the Veerashaiva Bhavan coming up in Bangalore. He intends to change Veerashaiva to Lingayat. Many units of the mahasabha have opposed his idea.

Anguish

Many leaders of the Veerashaiva community, who spoke at a meeting of the Tumkur unit of the mahasabha here today, expressed their anguish at Mr. Khandre's move. C. Veerabhadraiah, senior Congress leader and former MLA, said all sections of the community are happy with the name of the organisation that was set up in 1904.

Resolution

Mr. Veerabhadraiah said the Tumkur unit passed a resolution against any move to change the name of the mahasabha. The units of the mahasabha in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala too have supported the Tumkur unit's decision.

Charge

Alleging that Mr. Khandre had packed the executive committee of the mahasabha with members of his choice, Mr. Veerabhadraiah said he feared that Mr. Khandre will get his proposal approved at a meeting to be held on Sunday.

In that case, the Tumkur unit and others opposing the change will continue to function under the name of Veerashaiva Mahasabha. Mr. Khandre is free to form a new association, he said.

Warning

He expressed the hope that Mr. Khandre will pay heed to the warning by the Pancha Peethacharyas of the Veerashaivas against changing the names of the mahasabha of the bhavan.

G.S. Paramashivaiah, irrigation expert; K.G. Basavalingappa, retired principal; and B.B. Mahadevaiah, youth activist, supported Mr. Veerabhadraiah's views.

The Tumkur unit was emboldened to hold a meeting here as the Rambhapuri Peethacharya, Prasanna Renuka Veerasomeshwara, is camping here for the "Dhanurmasa puja".

It is believed that Mr. Veerabhadraiah convened the meeting at the behest of the Rambhapuri Peethacharya and a large number of leaders of the community attended it.

Criticised

The leaders said they will not accept Mr. Khandre's argument that the change of name has been necessitated to obtain a distinct column in the Census report.

They criticised Mr. Khandre for his views and said the Veerashaivas had been enumerating their names as Veerashaiva or Veerashaiva-Lingayat since Independence, and they faced no problem till now.

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