Hindutva leaders demand withdrawal of restraining order against Kaneri Math seer

Hindutva leaders have demanded that Karnataka government withdraw the restraining order issued against Kaneri Math seer Sri Adrushya Kadasiddeshwar Swami from entering Vijayapura and Bagalkot districts for two months. They held a meeting in Belagavi on Wednesday (October 29, 2025) and addressed a press meet later.

Expelled BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal joined several BJP leaders in condemning the order. They threatened to launch an agitation if the orders were not withdrawn.

“This is not an order against one person, but against the whole Hindu community. The whole Hindu community condemns it,” orator and NAMO brigade founder Chakravarthi Sulibele said.

He described it as one of the methods by which the Congress government in the State was trying to divide Hindus. “Such attempts to divide society in the past have failed. Restraining Hindu monks was one of the ways to target the community. But the Hindu community will not tolerate this. It will rise in revolt,” he said.

“By issuing such orders, the State government has restricted the seer’s freedom of speech and freedom of travel, which are fundamental rights. Such discretionary action will not be tolerated,” Mr. Sulibele added.

“Hindutva organisations will take up several rounds of protest. We will first start a signature campaign, and then give a memorandum to the officers. Finally, we will organise a Basavadi Sharana mela,” he said. Mr. Sulibele alleged that Vijayapura district in-charge minister M B Patil was behind the restraining orders and said that the mega rally would be held in Babaleshwar, Mr Patil’s constituency. “We will end it where it began,” he declared.

Politically motivated order

Mr. Yatnal suspected that the order against the seer was politically motivated. “The State is undergoing some political changes. CM Siddaramaiah is apprehensive that either D.K. Shivakumar or Satish Jarkiholi will become the CM. Hence, he is silently supporting M.B. Patil to emerge as a State-level leader and stake a claim to the post of CM. Mr. Patil is over confident and is misusing officers to restrain Hindu seers,” Mr Yatnal said.

“Mr. Patil has challenged us to hold a rally in his constituency of Babaleshwar. We will accept his challenge and hold a mega rally. He has said he will hold a counter rally using his Basava army and Bheem army,’’ he said.

Mr. Yatnal dismissed the separate Lingayat religion agitation movement as a Congress-supported political activity. “We will also hold a mega rally in Davangere and tell the government about the dangers of trying to divide Lingayats and Hindu society,” he said.

He claimed that there was no evidence to say that Basavanna was the founder of a new faith. “Basavanna was only trying to eradicate the social evils in Hinduism. Some Lingayat seers are misrepresenting his works and claiming that he founded a new religion. They are betraying innocent Lingayats,’’ he said.