Siddaramaiah denies repenting attempt to give Veerashaiva-Lingayat separate religious status
Bengaluru, Aug 20: Former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday denied repenting a move related to giving separate religious status to the Veerashaiva-Lingayat community during his tenure. The denial comes a day after a seer claimed the Congress leader was feeling guilty over the issue.
No, I did not say like that (repenting). I just explained what had happened. I told him (seer) what we had done while planning to give the Veerashaiva Lingayat that status..., Siddaramaiah told reporters in Bengaluru.
He said he did not bother much about religion. However, it was Davangere South MLA Shamanuru Shivashankarappa, a veteran Congress leader, who submitted to him (Siddaramaiah) a memorandum seeking creating Veerashaiva-Lingayat religion, he added.
Ahead of the 2018 Assembly election, the former Chief Minister said he drew flak when the State government tried to give the Veerashaiva-Lingayat' sect a separate religious status by breaking it away from Hindu religion.
In the election, the Congress lost power and it was a hung Assembly as the party got a fractured mandate.
On Friday, Prasanna Veerasomeshwara Shivacharya Swami of Balehonnur-based Rambhapuri Matha in Chikkamagaluru said Siddaramaiah repented for his move.
"Earlier, when he (Siddaramaiah) was the Chief Minister of the State, there were allegations that he was supporting an attempt to divide Veerashaiva-Lingayat sect. Today, he spoke his mind," the seer said adding: "He told me: I did not make any such attempt, but some people tried to mislead me. I repent for it."
Former minister M B Patil, who was also at the centre of the controversial move, said no one tried to divide the religion. That time, there were lots of misgivings maybe because no proper discussion took place, he conceded.
"After the election, we all had thought of sitting together and decide the next course of action," he added.
Meanwhile, Congress State president D K Shivakumar said there was no harm in confessing to a mistake.
If a man commits a mistake, there is nothing wrong in repenting it. No one is God. There were occasions when God, too, accepts a mistake, Shivakumar said.
He added that he was present in the Cabinet meeting when the decision to form a separate Veerashaiva-Lingayat sect had been taken and had expressed his views on it.
According to sources close to Shivakumar, he had opposed the move and reminded Siddaramaiah about the fallout.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said he is not aware of repentance of Siddaramaiah.
The Chief Minister declined to comment on it, but the people know what had happened.
"It was a talk between Siddaramaiah and Prasanna Veera Someshwara Swami of Rambhapuri Mutt. The seer has said Siddaramaiah was repentant. Siddaramaiah has commented on it. I am not aware of the statements of the two, so I don't want to say anything. But the truth of what happened in that situation is known to all," Bommai said.
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Chhattisgarh: Two killed, six injured in centring frame crash at under-construction building
Raipur, Jan 11: Two workers were killed and six others injured when a centring frame collapsed during the laying of a slab at an under-construction building in Chhattisgarh capital Raipur on Saturday, police said.
The incident occurred in Vishal Nagar area on VIP Road where a multi-storey building is being constructed, Raipur Additional Superintendent of Police Lakhan Patle told PTI.
As per preliminary information, a slab was being laid on 8th floor of the building around 3:30 PM when the centring frame crashed and fell on the ground, he said.
"Eight workers who were trapped under the debris of iron bars and construction material, were evacuated and admitted to different hospitals. Of them, two succumbed to injuries in the hospital," he said.
Police had earlier said 10 injured workers were injured in the incident.
Of the six injured, the condition of one is stated to be serious, Raipur Superintendent of Police Lal Umed Singh said.
Soon after being alerted, police and district administration personnel rushed to the spot and launched a rescue exercise wherein State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) was later involved, he said.
As per information, no worker is trapped under the debris but more clarity will be had after the debris is cleared over the next few hours, the SP said.
The under-construction project belongs to a private real estate firm, which has announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to kin of each of the deceased, officials said.
Pradyum, a labourer, said he was working on the ground floor when he heard a loud sound of metals falling to the ground.
"Some workers fell from the top where slab laying work was underway. Some workers who were at the ground got trapped under the debris. I and others present got involved in pulling them out," he said.
Meanwhile, some workers, on condition of anonymity, said the site did not have safety measures.
Queried about this aspect, SP Singh said a probe will be conducted into safety protocols and action will follow based on the findings.
