Rally for inclusion of Veerashaiva-Lingayats in Centre’s OBC list

Protesters urge govt. to immediately consider their demand

A large number of people took out a march in Mysuru on Monday to press for the inclusion of Veerashaiva-Lingayats in the Central list of Other Backward Castes (OBC). Veerashaivas-Lingayats congregated under the joint aegis of Akhila Bharatha Veerashaiva-Lingayat Mahasabha and Basava Balagagala Okkoota at Basaveshwara statue circle near JSS Mahavidyapeetha on Monday for a demonstration before setting out in a rally towards the Deputy Commissioner’s office.

The protesters marched through Chamaraja Double Road, Ramaswamy Circle and Jhansi Lakshmi Bai road before reaching the Deputy Commissioner’s office and submitting a memorandum to press for their demand.

The community leaders have complained that various sects of Veerashaiva-Lingayats have not been included in the Central list of OBC even though the community has remained backward educationally, economically and socially for several decades. Representations made in the regard have not yielded any results so far, they lamented. The community has been deprived have been deprived of several key central government jobs including civil service, besides admissions to prestigious educational institutions. The protestors urged the government to immediately consider their demands and take necessary action.

Similiar protest was held in Chamarajanagar where the members of the community also complained against their exclusion from the Central list of OBC.