Bengaluru, October 20: An influential Lingayat seer, Sri Siddalinga Swami of Tontadarya Mutt in Gadag, died on Saturday after suffering a massive cardiac arrest. The socio-religious leader was 69-year-old. His funeral, to be held in Gadag tomorrow, will be attended by scores of his followers from across Karnataka.

Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy mourned his demise, recalling the seer as a rare voice of progress, rationalism and agrarianism. His support for the pro-farmer and pro-Kannada movements would forever be remembered, along with his teachings to the people of Karnataka, Kumaraswamy said. The CM, along with other top leaders of the Janata Dal (Secular) would be visiting Gadag on Sunday to pay their final tributes. 'Lingayat a Separate Religious Community', Karnataka Govt Gives Nod to Nagamohan Das Committee Report.

Siddalinga Swami, a native of Korawad village in Vijayapura district, gained immense following after he led a relentless agitation against a multinational firm which had acquired government's nod to develop a steel plant in Kappatagudda hill range of Gadag district. Swami opposed th set-up of the steel plant, citing the presence of immense medicinal herbs in the forests of Kappatagudda. Following his protest, the government was not only forced to cancel the land allotment to the multinational company, but also accord reserve tag to the hill range.

In the recent past, Swami was actively involved in seeking the separate religion tag for Lingayats, who form an influential section of the Karnataka population. The community was accorded a religion tag in one of the final decisions taken by former CM Siddaramaiah before demitting office earlier in the year.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 20, 2018 11:30 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).