Bengaluru: As Lingayats gear up to participate in the caste survey beginning September 22, cracks have surfaced in the community along party lines about whether its members should project their religious identity as Veerashaiva-Lingayats or as Hindus.

Forest minister Eshwar Khandre, speaking recently for the Veerashaiva-Lingayat Mahasabha, said the community members must opt for 'others' in the religion column and identify themselves as Veerashaiva-Lingayats. They must write Lingayat or Veerashaiva in the caste column and their sub-caste in the third column, he said last week.

Lingayat leaders from the Opposition BJP have denounced the suggestion, seeing the move as the Congress party's strategy to use the caste survey to split the Hindu votes and weaken the BJP's base. Haveri MP Basavaraj Bommai (BJP) said the Veerashaiva Lingayat Mahasabha has completely become aligned with Congress. "My request to the Mahasabha is to provide advice in accordance with the law and Constitution. Mahasabha should not create confusion... Only six religions are mentioned in the Constitution, so only the names of those religions should be written," he said.

Bommai, a former CM, alleged that Siddaramaiah was trying to use the caste survey for his own political gains.

State BJP president BY Vijayendra said the party's stand was unambiguous. "We are Hindus and want that to be mentioned as our religion. There is no mention of Veerashaiva-Lingayat as a religion."

BJP's deputy leader of Opposition Arvind Bellad called the Mahasabha's missive as another shot by the Congress at dividing the Hindus by pressing for a distinct religious identity.