Veerashaiva Lingayat seers and leaders gathered at the Veerashaiva Kalyana Mantap in Kalaburai on Sunday, demanding that the Union government include their community in the Central OBCs list. | Photo Credit: ARUN KULKARNI

Veerashaiva Lingayat community seers and leaders, setting aside their differences, came together in Kalaburagi on Sunday to demand that the Union government include the community in the Central list of Other Backward Classes (OBCs). They also declared that the fight will continue till the long-pending demand is met.

The community conference saw many seers, including Chandrashekhar Shivacharya of Kashi Math, Channasiddarama Shivacharaya of Srishaila Math, Siddalinga Shivacharya of Ujjaini Math, Veerabhadra Shivacharya of Kadaganchi Math, Doddappa Appa of Sharnbasveshwar Samsthan and many community leaders, including Union Minister Bhagwanth Khuba, Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre, Medical Education Minister Sharan Prakash Patil, Small Scale Industries and Public Enterprises Minister Sharanabasappa Darshanapur, legislators M.Y. Patil, B.R. Patil, Allamprabhu Patil, Sharnbasveshwar Vidyavardhak Sangh secretary Basavaraj Deshmukh, Hyderabad Karnataka Education Society president Bhimashankar Bilgundi and others participating in the event setting aside their ideological differences and political affiliations.

Mr. Khandre, Dr. Sharan Prakash Patil and Mr. Darshanapur expressed their commitment to the cause and assured the meeting that they will convince Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of the need to fulfil the demand and request him to pressurise the Union government to accept it.

Mr. Khuba said that he will pursue the matter at the Union government-level soon after the State government sends the recommendation.

“Hundreds of seers are fighting for the cause. Let the State government send its proposal and recommendation to the Union government. I will take it forward at the Union government-level,” Mr. Khuba said.

“We have taken up the issue for the community. It is a long-pending demand. There is no question of stepping back. We will continue the fight till we our demand is met,” Siddalinga Shivacharya of Ujjaini Math said.