Concerted protests from the powerful Lingayat community, including Congress leaders in Karnataka, over a book claiming that the 12th century social reformer and Lingayat saint Basavanna was a Dalit and not a Brahmin, has resulted in the “temporary” withdrawal of the book by Kannada writer Banjagere Jayaprakash. The book Aanudeva Horaganavanu which has so far gone into seven prints and stirred major controversy is being withdrawn on account of the “politicised” criticism it has received, the writer has stated. “There are people who are trying to become leaders by opposing my book. I don’t want my work to be a tool for such efforts,” Jayaprakash said. The controversy around the 85-page book has over the past month gathered storm and over the past two weeks witnessed a sit-in protest, demanding seizure of the books, outside Bangalore’s Town Hall by leaders of the All India Veerashaiva Mahasabha. The Lingayats are a progressive 12th century breakaway Hindu group, comprising various original classes of people including Brahmins and Dalits, brought together mainly by Basavanna. They are commonly called Veerashaivas since they are worshippers of Shiva. Lingayats incidentally are the single largest population group in Karnataka making up nearly 15 per cent of the state and playing a vital role in politics. President of the Veerashaiva Mahasabha and former Congress minister Bheemanna Khandre, who has spearheaded protests in Bangalore, has called the temporary withdrawal of the book a ploy to weaken protests. He has demanded seizure of the books. “I stick to what I have said in the book. I will make efforts to put my thoughts more convincingly in the next edition,” the writer said on the temporary withdrawal. State president of the BJP D V Sadananda Gowda, to whose party the Lingayat community is a key vote base, has stated that the book should be banned since it creates divisions within society. “The book by Jayaprakash has created a stir in the society. No books on respected people like Kannada literary giant Kuvempu, Bharat Ratna Dr Ambedkar or Mahatma Basaveswara should be based on suspected truth,” the BJP state leader said.
