Independent religion: Fresh challenge awaits Lingayat movement
The Lingayat independent religion debate has been reopened with new government firmly in place. Last government had sent a proposal to central government to grant independent religion status to Lingayat dharma which sought to free itself from being part of Hindu dharma. Though this independent dharma cry had taken centrestage in the last elections, it did not yield any major advantage to Congress. Sangh Parivar was bent upon defeating the Congress led by former CM Siddaramaiah, only to land a severe blow to the Lingayat issue.
BJP went to streets alleging Siddaramaiah was bent upon splitting the Hindu dharma. Veerashaivas who were opposed to Lingayat dharma getting an independent tag, supported BJP. But the Lingayats who saw BJP damaging their cause, didn’t have enough clarity to stand against that party. Lingayat leaders failed to convey the differences of opinion between RSS and the basics of Lingayat dharma. Some Lingayat Swamijis openly vouched their support for Congress for having initiated the process relating to independent religion, but this didn’t turn into votes. This is certainly a minor setback. Congress is not even in a state to respond to this issue right now since the Congress party is not under control of Siddaramaiah. Other leaders who are leading Congress from the front do not want to meddle with this issue since they have surrendered their senses and logic to Brahminical forces. CM HD Kumaraswamy has made his objection to the issue of independent religion pretty evident. He had lacked total understanding of Basavanna’s philosophy and had made light of ‘independent religion’ tag by mentioning even vokkaligas may seek a separate religion tag. HDK is known for his lenience towards brahminical practices and swamijis of that community. Hence he cannot be expected to do anything in this regard.
Brahminical minds have already mislead Lingayat youths against their very core rationale. RSS has realized any independent thinking Lingayat can be a danger to their ‘hindutva’ agenda. Hence the proposal sent from state to centre regarding this issue has been shelved for now. And BJP chief Amit Shah had categorically said they’d not encourage the splitting of dharma under this guise. Hence Lingayats in favor of different dharma cannot expect any encouraging response from BJP at the moment.
This is a good opportunity to convince people about the genesis of this movement. Now that this issue has nothing to do with any impending elections, unlike last time, Lingayat leaders across parties – BJP, JD(S) and Congress – have to work towards this goal. Former minister MB Patil is trying hard to find a space for himself in the new government. Looks like Congress party has planned to maintain distance from those leaders who took part in this separate dharma campaign. With no help coming by, Lingayat leaders have to carry the message of their efforts to their people, without waiting for any approval from their counterparts of party chiefs.
Lingayat is the most genuine and organic religion that was born in Karnataka. It has an independent identity. It is devoid of idolatry, temple visits and has no agents between self and god. The Lingayats do not ever rely on Brahmins or their rituals for any purpose. This was established in 12 century by Basavanna. Today when Lingayat dharma has lost its identity coming under the influence of Brahminical practices and supremacy, it is time to take Basavanna’s message to every Lingayat dharma follower and create awareness about the faith system that’s a pride of every follower. This would also be the resistance exhibited by Lingayat to Brahminical practices. For this purpose, every political reason apart, this state has to own up its religious off shoot, honouring the tradition of this land.
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London, Nov 22: A bomb disposal squad deployed as a “precaution” to the South Terminal of Gatwick Airport concluded an investigation into a "security incident" on Friday after making a “suspect package” safe.
The South Terminal of Gatwick Airport, the UK's second busiest airport after Heathrow, which was briefly shut owing to the incident reopened following the incident.
The Gatwick is around 45 km south of London.
Two people detained during the enquiries have since been allowed to continue their journey as the airport was opened.
“Police have concluded their investigation into a report of a suspect package at Gatwick Airport. Officers from the EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team made the package safe, and the airport has been handed back to its operator,” Sussex Police said in an updated statement.
“Two people detained while enquiries were ongoing have subsequently been allowed to continue their journeys. There will remain an increased police presence in the area to assist with passengers accessing the South Terminal for onward travel,” the statement added.
Earlier on Friday, the incident caused severe disruption at the busy airport’s South Terminal, while the North Terminal of Gatwick Airport remained unaffected.
“Police were called to the South Terminal at Gatwick Airport at 8.20 am on Friday (November 22) following the discovery of a suspected prohibited item in luggage,” a Sussex Police statement said.
“To ensure the safety of the public, staff and other airport users, a security cordon has been put in place whilst the matter is dealt with. As a precaution, an EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team is being deployed to the airport. This is causing significant disruption and some roads around the South Terminal have been closed. We’d advise the public to avoid the area where possible,” it said.
Footage on social media taken outside the airport showed crowds of frustrated travellers being moved away from the terminal building.
Gatwick said it was working hard to resolve the issue.
“A large part of the South Terminal has been evacuated as a precaution while we continue to investigate a security incident," the airport said in a social media post.
“Passengers will not be able to enter the South Terminal while this is ongoing. The safety and security of our passengers and staff remain our top priority. We are working hard to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.”
Train and bus services that serve the airport were also impacted while the police carried out their inquiries.
In an unrelated incident in south London on Friday morning, the US Embassy area in Nine Elms by the River Thames was the scene of a controlled explosion by Scotland Yard dealing with what they believe may have been a “hoax device”.
“We can confirm the 'loud bang' reported in the area a short time ago was a controlled explosion carried out by officers,” the Metropolitan Police said in a post on X.
“Initial indications are that the item was a hoax device. An investigation will now follow. Some cordons will remain in place for the time being but the majority of the police response will now be stood down,” it added.
