Ram Mandir invite: Why Hindu OBC seers in Karnataka are unhappy

Hindu seers from backward classes in Karnataka are overjoyed that their dream project - the Ram temple - will finally be open in Ayodhya, but they are also deeply unhappy for not being invited to the grand inauguration in Ayodhya next month.

Representatives from Hindu religious outfits representing the OBC communities have told The Federal that invites for the January 22 event have overwhelmingly gone to seers from upper-caste Hindu groups.

OBC seers are angry that while they worked hard for right-wing Hindu outfits all through the Ayodhya temple campaign, prominence is now being given to the upper caste seers who were then nowhere in the picture.

Upset seers

A religious head from the Dakshina Kannada region pointed out,“While dignitaries, prominent politicians and seers have been specially invited for the inauguration of the Ram mandir, some Swamijis of backward classes who kept the Ram Mandir issue alive for two or more decades have not been given importance.

It is the coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi which helped build a base for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Karnataka in the 1990s, eventually transforming the state into the BJP’s only hub in southern India.

Working alongside RSS-affiliated organisations, including the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal, the seers of various communities and castes guided the temple movement to take roots in the Malnad region, Kodagu, Chikkamgaluru and Shivamogga..

Favouritism?

Naturally, they are angry that they are now being ignored by the organisers during the temple inauguration. Most invites, they say, have gone to the upper caste seers, causing backward Hindu groups to feel humiliated.

"We have alerted prominent workers of Hindu organisations about this… We are neglected," a seer who doesn't want to be named told The Federal.

Another said: "Now the local VHP or Bajrang Dal members have met a few seers and orally invited us to the temple inauguration but we have not been told about any facilities to go to Ayodhya. But they have provided all facilities to the celebrity seers and religious heads."

Visiting Ayodhya

Many seers attached to pro-Hindu organisations directly are not ready to comment on the issue though they too are unhappy. Disciples of Vajradehi and Manila Mohanadasa seers said they had received the invitation but did not say if they will attend the inauguration jamboree in Ayodhya.  Ramesh Shetty, a member of a pro-Hindu group of Udupi, said that several seers of the backward classes, including Bunts, Billavas and Kulalas openly came out in support of the Ayodhya movement in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Bunts are classified as Backward Class but they are basically landlords. They are considered a forward community compared to other backward-class seers and religious heads of Billava and other communities.

Building BJP

"Those were the days when the BJP was not strong in Karnataka and the Congress and Janata Dal governments ruled the state. Upper caste seers were close to those governments and enjoying official grants. The seers of backward classes fought for the Hindutva movement," said Shetty.

These seers include Odiyuru Gurudevananda Swamiji, Kemaru Isha Vitaladasa Swamiji, Rajashekharananda of Gurupura Vajradehi Mutt, Manila Mohanadasa Swamiji Kolya Ramananda Swamiji and Nirmalanatha Swamiji of Kadri Jogi.

When a campaign was launched in the 90s to collect consecrated bricks for the Ram temple, barring the Vishweshathirtha Swamiji of Pejawar Mutt of Udupi (upper caste), all the other seers who were deeply involved were from backward classes, one Hindu activist told The Federal.

Another seer who didn't want to be named said that during the kar seva movement in the 1990s and the ‘Rama Nama Deeksha Abhiyan' which started in 2001, “not a single Brahmin Swamiji was present”.

He added that when the 'Hindu Samajotsava’ began in several places in the coastal belt in 2002, not a single upper-caste religious leader was present.

The upper caste seers came for the next ‘Hindu Samajotsava’ after the BJP took power in Karnataka. Even then, prominence was given to them with separate seating arrangements on the dais, complained Ramesh Poojary, a member of a pro-Hindu group who actively participated in such programmes.

There is also another factor here that will impact the BJP in the future. The BJP youth wing in the coastal region, who are largely made up of backward classes, are also unhappy.

Young BJP members from the Billawas, Kulals communities too are sore with the BJP leadership for not giving them any importance in the state party unit. And, had taken to the streets to protest against their leadership when Billava youth Pravin Nettaru was murdered in the region. This had caused a lot of stir in the BJP state party unit.