The succession row that rocked the Moorusavir Mutt five years ago, which has been raked up now, further escalated on Friday with one of the claimants, Sri Dingaleshwar Swami, making charges against the high-power core committee of the mutt and members of the committee signalling that they would not allow a scheduled event planned by the seer on Sunday.
The seer, who has been going around the twin cities holding meeting of the community members, has declared that he would enter the mutt on Sunday [February 23] to hold ‘Satya Darshan Sabhe’ [meeting to reveal truth] about the succession issue.
This development has been opposed strongly by a section of the devotees of the mutt, including members of the core committee, and a few even questioned the authority of the seer on holding such a meeting at the mutt.
The core committee, that includes Minister for Large and Medium Industries Jagadish Shettar, former Minister Basavaraj Horatti, Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai and others, has some differences with some choosing to remain aloof, while others, like Vijay Sankeshwar, former MP, who has since resigned from the committee, openly supporting the seer’s claim.
To further add to the confusion, another claimant for the successor’s post, the seer of Gubbalagudda Kempayya Swami Mutt Mallikarjun Swami, too has sought permission from the Police Commissionerate to allow him to hold a meeting of devotees as per their wishes at the mutt on Sunday.
He has even claimed that he was appointed successor to the mutt in 1998 itself and now some were creating confusion about the issue.
On Thursday, Chief Minister’s Legal Adviser and member of core committee Mohan Limbikai made a clear statement against holding the meeting on the mutt premises and categorically ruled out allowing any such meeting.
Mr. Shettar, on the other hand, told presspersons that the question of choosing a successor to the peetha did not arise as the issue was yet to be decided by the court.
He categorically stated that neither he had not been invited to any such meeting at the mutt nor he would participate in any such meeting.
“What I can do if Dingaleshwar Swami has convened a meeting,” he asked adding that the seers were supposed to guide them [politicians], but it was sad that they had reached such a situation where they had to guide the seers.
Meanwhile, Dingaleshwar Swami, who is keen on holding the meeting at the mutt on Sunday and who was denied a meeting with the present seer on Thursday, held a press conference on Friday accusing some vested interests of systematically keeping the present seer under confinement.
The seer, who did not take any names, said that vested interests were not interested in the development of mutt and accused them of grabbing the mutt property. He even said that he had helped the Moorusavir Mutt seer when the mutt was in dire straits and now the now the seer should help him in return.
Although core committee member Shankranna Munavalli had mentioned the likelihood of the committee holding a meeting on Friday, it did not happen.
Amid all these developments, the police have further tightened security around the mutt and anyone entering the mutt, particularly those wanting to meet the present seer, are being let in after enquiries.
