Rahul Gandhi gets blessings of Murugha Mutt seer, to perform Ishta Linga puja

Chitradurga: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday was given diksha by the seer of Murugha Mutt Dr Shivamurty for performing Ishta Linga puja.
During his visit to the Mutt, Gandhi expressed his interest to perform Ishta Linga puja. “During our meeting, he (Gandhi) asked us what philosophy we are propagating? We told him Basavana’s. He then enquired about Basavanna. After sharing the information with him, we asked him whether he would like to have an Ishta Linga? He readily agreed to it and we gave him a diksha and applied vibhuti on his forehead,” the seer told reporters after meeting the Congress leader here.
The pontiff also explained the importance of Ishta Linga puja and garlanded him. “Basavanna gave Ishta Linga for meditation and stabilizing wavering mind. An unstable mind is the root cause for many problems. If the mind is brought under control you can manage everything without any mistakes,” Dr Shivamurty said.
Making a request to the seer, Gandhi said he would like to have the services of a person who can teach him the method of performing Ishta Linga puja and Shivayoga. “I have been following and reading a bit about Basavanna ji. So, it is a real honour for me to be here. I would make a request, if you can send me somebody who can teach me a little more in detail about Ishtalinga and Shivayoga, I would probably benefit from it,” Gandhi requested the seer and other seers who were present in the Mutt.
In reply, Dr Shivamurty said that someone would be sent to New Delhi to guide him to perform ishtalinga puja.
Gandhi was felicitated by Dr Shivamurty and gifted him a portrait of Basavanna. The Congress leader was accompanied by KC Venugopal, DK Shivakumar and other Congress leaders. His meeting with the seer is seen as an attempt by the Congress to woo the Lingayat community which is ruling BJP’s vote bank in the state.
Some Congress leaders also feel that it is a good opportunity for them to capitalize on the “sidelining” of Lingayat strongman BS Yediyurappa in the BJP. He was asked to step down from the chief minister’s post and give way to Basavaraj Bommai.
The Lingayat seers had rallied behind Yediyurappa ahead of his imminent stepping down from the post of Karnataka chief minister last year.
After meeting Dr Shivamurty, Gandhi attended Siddaramotsava, the 75th birthday celebration of Siddaramaiah, at Davanagere.
The birthday bash is being seen by Shivakumar’s supporters as sowing seeds of division within the party.
Taking note of this impending danger, Rahul Gandhi urged the state party leaders to fight the “corrupt” BJP government unitedly and stay away from giving differing statements in public.
On late Tuesday night, the former AICC President had attended the state unit’s political affairs committee meeting in Hubballi.
After the meeting, Venugopal told reporters that the committee had discussed the party’s organizational issues and preparedness for 2023 assembly elections. (UNI)