Mysore/Mysuru: Urging the Government to announce 2A Category reservation for Panchamasali Lingayats and other sub-sects such as Gowda Lingayat, Maalegowda Lingayat and Deeksha Lingayat, the Panchamasali Lingayat Samaja will launch a over one-month ‘Pratigna Panchayat’ from Aug. 26 to Sept. 30 across the State.

Announcing this at a press meet here on Monday, Koodalasangama Panchamasali Mutt Seer Sri Basava Jayamrutyunjaya Swamiji said that the campaign to seek 2A Category reservation (Pratigna Panchayat) will be launched atop M.M. Hills in Hanur taluk of Chamarajanagar district at 10 am on Aug. 26. 

Pointing out that the Pancha- yat will traverse through Chamarajanagar, Shivamogga districts, Mysuru, Mandya, Kodagu, Hassan, and also all districts of Kalyana Karnataka region, he said that the Panchayat will culminate at Bengaluru on Sept. 30.

Maintaining that the previous B.S. Yediyurappa Government had sought six months time to decide on the reservation demand, Sri Jayamrutyunjaya Swamiji said that this time will end on Sept. 15.

Recalling that Basavaraj Bommai as the Home Minister in Yediyurappa Government too had promised to look into the reservation issue, the Seer said that now that Bommai has become the Chief Minister, he should take the demand for 2A Category reservation to its logical end by announcing the reservation to Panchamasali community which is lagging behind in key social sectors such as education, economy and employment. He warned of intensifying the campaign if the Government failed to keep its promise on reservation.

Continuing, he said that the ‘Pratigna Panchayat’ will cover more than 124 taluks in several districts of the State in the over five-week long campaign. The Panchayat will pass through Gundlupet, Nanjangud and Mysuru city on Aug. 27 and H.D. Kote, Periyapatna, Hunsur and K.R. Nagar on Aug. 28, he added.

Taking strong exception to the reported remark of actor and former MLC ‘Mukhyamantri’ Chandru that Panchamasali Lingayats need no reservation facility, the Seer contended that 95 percent of the community members were backward and poor and it is totally wrong on the part of the former MLC to say so. 

Former Harihar MLA H.S. Shivashankar, Panchamasali Lingayat Action Co-ordination Committee Convenor A. Mallesh, Gowda Lingayat Mahasabha State President Alanahalli Puttaswamy, office-bearers Cable Mahesh, Shambhu Patel and others were present at the press meet.