Separate Lingayat religion: Government spent Rs 36 lakh on expert panel that worked for 2 months

BENGALURU: Former chief minister Siddaramaiah’s decision to pursue separate religion status for the

Lingayat community

may not have yielded expected electoral dividends in 2018 assembly polls for his party the Congress, but it has dented the government exchequer.

The state government spent Rs 36 lakh on allowances and perks for members of a committee that worked for just two months to prepare a report recommending religious minority status to Lingayats. The recommendation was eventually rejected by the BJP-ruled Union government.

Siddaramaiah constituted a nine-member committee headed by retired high court judge Justice HN Nagamohan Das towards the end of December 2017. The terms of reference was to advise the government on the demand from a section of Lingayat leaders seeking separate region status for their community.

The committee had sought six months to undertake public consultation — the basis for its report. Siddaramaiah, however, insisted that the report be delivered in two months as his move was obviously aimed at consolidating politically dominant Lingayat votes in favour of the Congress.

Government records show the committee held five sittings before it submitted its report on March 2, 2018 — only a month before the state went to polls.

“The money spent by the government is largely on sitting fees to committee members,” Justice Das told TOI, while adding that the allowances were way below the guidelines prescribed for such committees. “As chairman I got the highest fee, but it is legitimate compensation.”

Justice Das got a total of Rs 5.7 lakh, while other members received a fee ranging between Rs 3.4 lakh and Rs 1.8 lakh. The total fee depended on their attendance at the meetings.

“The Lingayat issue was raked up without proper consultation with people or community leaders and was done in haste,” said NK Mohanram, a political analyst. “Moreover, public money was used in the process.”

Though the Centre did not endorse Siddaramaiah government’s proposal to accord minority religion status to Lingayats, political trackers maintain that the controversy will be revisited ahead of this year’s general election.

Meanwhile, a section of Lingayat leaders who have been demanding minority religion status are planning to move the court against the Centre for spiking their demand.