Overview

• At the Basava Culture Campaign valedictory in Bengaluru, the Lingayat Matadeeshara Okkoota adopted a resolution seeking separate religion recognition to access benefits and reservations.
• Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah told attendees that Lingayat is a separate religion and decried caste hierarchies, then later told reporters he had no personal stand and that the people’s stand would be his.
• Organisers urged community members to use self-declaration or the survey’s ‘others’ category during the ongoing Social and Educational Survey to document Lingayat identity.
• Visible divisions persisted as BJP-aligned leaders and the Akhila Bharatha Veerashaiva Mahasabha stayed away, underscoring rifts over Lingayat and Veerashaiva identity.
• The state announced a Basava University from the next academic year and said it will recommend renaming Namma Metro as ‘Basava Metro,’ even as a 2018 state bid for recognition was later rejected by the Centre.