Belagavi, Dec 10 : Kudalasangama Panchamasali Peeth seer Basavaraj Jaya Mruthyunjaya Swami said on Tuesday that the Karnataka government government is trying to sideline the Panchamasali protests.

He also demanded reservation under 2A category.

'The state government is trying to sideline the protest. They also imposed a prohibition on vehicles and refused to give us a place to protest. In spite of all this, 50,000 people took part in the protest,' said the seer.

He also claimed that they took out the protests in a 'democratic' manner but the advocates, women and farmers who were protesting were dispersed by force.

'Siddaramaiah is responsible for all this. We will strategise our future protests. The government will have to face the consequences for today's highhandedness,' claimed the seer.

He further claimed that the Congress took the votes of the Panchamasali Lingayats and came to power. 'Today, it is not bothering to hear out our rights. Our only demand was that Siddaramaiah should come to the stage and assure us. The three ministers who came to us did not give assurance but claimed that they came to know our opinion. If Siddaramaiah had come and given us the assurance the matter would have been solved,' he said.

He also claimed that the police also tried to 'attack' him but his community members protected him. 'They also attempted to arrest me. If they had touched me, the whole Karnataka would have been on fire,' he claimed.

He alleged that police have used force against 50 people who have suffered injuries.

The agitation by the Panchmasali Lingayats community turned violent after a mob pelted stones at police and attempted to lay siege to the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belagavi.

The police stopped protesters on their way to the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha, warning them that they wouldn't be allowed to march any further. The police claimed that the agitators threw stones and footwear at the police personnel after which police resorted to a lathi charge to disperse the mob.

/IANS