“The demand for reservation by any community that feels it is backward, is justified. I don’t oppose the agitation for reservation for the Panchamasali community. However, it seems to be a legally complicated issue,’’ Sri Bheemashankar Swami, seer of Kedar Peetha, said in Belagavi on Wednesday.
He was speaking after receiving the honour of Pada Puja by Lakshmi Hebbalkar, Congress MLA.
“I have been involved in such efforts in the past. I have been part of delegations seeking reservation to various Lingayat communities in the past. I have met leaders like L.K. Advani, Shivaraj Patil and S.B. Chauhan. I have been told that there are over 308 caste groups in the country,” he said.
“However, for them to get reservation or any such benefit, they have to be certified after a report by the Anthropological Survey of India. This authority does not lie with any one else, including Parliament or the State Legislatures,” he said.
To a query, he said that he will support the demand for religion status for Veerashaiva. “I have already submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking minority status for Veerashaiva,” he said.
