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Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday clarified that he has no stand regarding the demand for a separate religion status by the Lingayat community, even as opposition BJP alleged that an attempt was on to divide the Hindu religion and society.

The CM's statement came a day after the 'Basava Culture Campaign-2025' organised by "Lingayat Matadeeshara Okkoota" (federation of Lingayat seers), adopting resolutions at the valedictory function, which included raising awareness about religious recognition for Lingayats.

"I have no stand. The stand of the people is my stand. We will write what they (people from the Lingayat community) say their religion is, during the survey (caste census that is underway)," Siddaramaiah told reporters in Koppal in response to a question about his stand on the Lingayat community's demand for a separate religion status.

To a question on the Lingayat issue resurfacing, he said, "The issue has always remained there. Some Virakta math swamijis are demanding for it."

Karnataka BJP president B Y Vijayendra, without naming anyone, said that the demand for a separate religion status for Lingayat has resurfaced, and the people know who are behind it.

"We need to protect the Hindu religion amid attempts to divide the religion. We need to unify the society and do justice to all communities. I don't understand why the chief minister is in such a hurry....Some forces are trying to divide the society and Hindu religion. Earlier too there were such attempts, they were not successful and in the future too they won't be successful," he said.

There has been resentment against the alleged attempts to project --Lingayats and Veerashaivas-- as different.

The Lingayat/Veerashaiva community that owes allegiance to the "social reform movement" initiated by Basaveshwara in the 12th century, has a substantial population in Karnataka, especially in the northern parts of the state.

Veerashaiva seers and the representatives of the Akhila Bharata Veerashaiva Mahasabha, the apex body of the community, were allegedly kept out of the Sunday event, which was attended by Siddaramaiah, and ministers from Lingayat community -- M B Patil, Sharan Prakash Patil, Laxmi Hebbalkar among others.

Minister Eshwar Khandre, who is also part of the Veerashaiva Mahasabha speaking to reporters here, said, Lingayats and Veersahaivas are the same, and several stalwarts of the community, including the late Shivakumara swamiji had concluded that Veerashaiva and Lingayats are synonyms and they are not different from each other.

He said the Mahasabha will continue its demand for a separate religion status for Veerashaiva-Lingayats as given to Buddhists, Sikhs and Jains.

Minister M B Patil, who is a Lingayat leader, said, "We are Indians first. Geographically, we are all Hindus. But Lingayats are a religion like other Indic religions -- Buddhists, Jains, and Sikhs."

Asked about Veerashaiva Mahasabha being kept away from the Sunday's event, he said, "the event was organised by the federation of Lingayat seers and they did not invite anyone with a dual stand. They had invited those who are straight in favour of Basavanna and his philosophy."

He, however, said, "Veershaivas have now come half way by supporting the separate religion cause."

Separate religion status issue is largely believed to have cost Congress party dear in the 2018 assembly polls.

The then Siddaramaiah-led Congress government's decision to recommend to the Centre to accord 'religious minority' status on the Lingayat community had resulted in electoral losses for the party in the polls.

Along with Congress facing losses in the Lingayat-dominated constituencies, most of its leaders who were actively involved in the 'separate Lingayat religion' movement then, had suffered defeat.

The move was also seen as an attempt to divide the community itself, as a section expressed resentment over projecting Veerashaivas and Lingayats as the same.

While one section led by Akhila Bharata Veerashaiva Mahasabha had demanded separate religion status, asserting that Veerashaiva and Lingayats are the same, the other group wanted it only for Lingayats as they believe that Veerashaiva is one among the seven sects of Shaivas, which is part of Hinduism.

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New Delhi: A Noida-based private University, Galgotias has come under severe criticism after allegedly showcasing a china-made robotic dog at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi.

Social media users accused the university of purchasing a commercial robot from China and presenting it as its own creation at the summit.

Reports claimed that the university showcased the Unitree Go2 robotic dog, an AI-powered device available on Chinese platforms for Rs 2–3 lakh, under the name “Orion” during the event in New Delhi.

“So Galgotia university purchased a commercially available robot worth Rs 2.5 lakhs, called it their own and passed it off in the Delhi AI Summit as a part of their 350 crore AI ecosystem..I literally have no words left,” wrote ‘X’ user Roshan Rai, sharing a video in which a DD News reporter interviewed a university official about the robotic dog.

The viral post claimed that the robot closely resembles Unitree Go2, a quadruped robotic dog developed by Chinese company Unitree Robotics.

Screenshots attached to the post compared the robot displayed at the summit with the Unitree Go2 listing, priced at roughly 2,800 dollars (around Rs 2.3–2.5 lakhs).

According Unitree Robotics, The Unitree Go2 is widely used as a programmable quadruped robot for research, education, inspection, and development purposes, and is a common learning platform in universities and robotics labs worldwide.

Several users reiterated the claim.

Government of India funds for filing patents

Meanwhile, concerns were raised about alleged misuse of government funds.

User @sky_phd highlighted, “Galgotias University is once again in the spotlight. Under the guise of research and innovation, they are raking in plenty of money.”

The user claimed that the university took money under government funds, and wrote, “The Government of India provides incentive funding of up to five lakh rupees for filing patents.”

“To understand the patent filing process and the games being played with it, take a look at the list of top Indian institutions filing patents. All the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) together file only 803 patents, while institutions like Lovely Professional University, Jain Deemed-to-be University, Galgotias University, and Teerthanker Mahaveer University have filed more than a thousand patents each,” the user wrote, sharing a chart of patent filings by these universities.

“The basic international patent filing fee is $285–400. Through patent filings alone, these institutions are reportedly earning more than fifty crore rupees annually. However, while these universities file patents, they often do not pursue them further, and most patents ultimately do not get granted. This inflates filing numbers but does not reflect real innovation or recognized intellectual property,” the user added.

Another user pointed out about the selection criteria of the summit. The user questioned, “What exactly was the selection criteria for participation in this AI summit? .”

“Platforms meant to showcase India’s innovation should represent genuine research, original ideas, and credible institutions. So how did Galgotias University qualify to display a Chinese-made robot and present it as its own “innovation”? If true, this isn’t just embarrassing, it undermines the credibility of the entire summit and of India’s growing tech ecosystem. At a time when India is trying to position itself as a global AI and deep-tech leader, showcasing repackaged imports as indigenous innovation only damages trust. If we want the world to take India’s AI ambitions seriously, transparency and authenticity must come first,” the user added.

 

University clarifies after backlash

In response to the criticism, Galgotias University issued a clarification, stating that it “never claimed to have built the device” and that the robot was procured from a Chinese manufacturer for academic purposes.

“Let us be clear, Galgotias has not built this robodog, nor have we claimed to do so. What we are building are minds that will soon design, engineer, and manufacture such technologies in Bharat," the university said.

The university in its statement also pointed out that the Unitree Go2 is being used as a learning tool for students.

“From the US to China and Singapore, we bring advanced technologies to campus because exposure creates vision, and vision creates creators. The robodog is actively being used by students to test capabilities and explore real-world applications,” the university added.

University professor claims “it's developed by the Center of Excellence at the Galgotias University.”

In another video captured by DD News, a reporter showcased the Galgotias University pavilion at the India AI Impact Summit 2026.

At the pavilion, the reporter spoke with the university professor about the technology on display.

The professor introduced the robot, saying, “This is Orion. You need to meet Orion. It has been developed by the Center of Excellence at Galgotias University.”

She added, “I would also like to brief you about Galgotias University. We are the first private university investing more than Rs 350 crore in artificial intelligence and have a dedicated data science and AI lab on campus.”

“Orion has been developed by our Center of Excellence. It can take all shapes and sizes and is quite playful. It can perform small tasks such as surveillance and monitoring. It can even execute movements like moonwalks and somersaults,” she explained.

She also claimed that, “This is India’s first iOS lab in North India at a university, giving our students hands-on experience with cutting-edge technology.”

Reacting to the video social media users ridiculed the 350 cr rupees investment compared to the china made robo dog.

Past Controversies of the University

This is not the first time the university is in controversy. In May 2024, during the Lok Sabha elections, a video went viral showing students protesting outside the Congress headquarters in New Delhi against the party’s manifesto. The footage, captured by Aaj Tak, showed students struggling to articulate the purpose of their protest, raising questions about the demonstration’s intent.

Earlier, in 2017, students protested against the university management after being barred from appearing in exams due to low attendance, with allegations that fines were requested to allow attendance, a claim denied by the administration.

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