Siddaganga mutt nixes Minister Patil's claim of support for Lingayat religion, says he misunderstood

110-year-old Siddaganga seer is a prominent religious head of the Lingayat community Minister MB Patil had claimed that he had the support of the seer to continue their fight for separate religion tag for Lingayats Minister, however, had failed to provide any proof

Contrary to the Minister MB Patil's claim that Siddaganga Mutt seer Shivakumara swami has supported the demand for a separate religion tag for the Lingayat, the seer has now said that the minister has "misunderstood" his statements.

In an official communiqué reportedly issued by the Mutt authorities, the centenarian seer has reportedly said that he never said that Veerashaivas and Lingayats are different, as claimed by the minister.

It may be recalled here that Water Resources Minister MB Patil had claimed that the seer had supported the cause for separate religion tag for Lingayats. The minister had even gone on to say that the seer had indeed agreed with the fact that Veerashaivas and Lingayats are different. "Veerashaivas and Lingayats are two different communities, and Lingayat is a separate religion," was how the minister had quoted the seer.

"Today is my happiest moment in life. The modern Basavanna (Dr Shivakumara swami) has supported the cause for the separate tag of our community," the minister had said. He also added that the seer's views were final. But the minister had failed to provide any proof of the support that he claimed to have received from the 110-year-old seer. "I could not record his statement. But his words were crystal clear to me. I have heard it correct, and I have not misunderstood him," Patil had said.

Now, the mutt authorities had categorically stated that the seer never differentiated between the Veerashaivas and Lingayats, reports Suvarna News. The official statement also said that the minister had misinterpreted and misunderstood the seer's words triggering further confusion in the community that is now divided over the separate religion tag debate.

Patil had told media persons that he was ready to shave off his head if the mutt authorities said he was wrong. "Let me incur curse if I have misunderstood or misinterpreted the seer's words. I will go to the Siddaganga mutt and apologise if at all I have done anything wrong."