Bengaluru: Former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday August 20 denied regretting the move related to giving separate religious status to the Veerashaiva-Lingayat Community during his tenure.

Speaking to mediapersons, Siddaramaiah said, “No, I have not said like that. I just explained about what had happened. I informed the seer that what we had done while planning to give the Veerashaiva – Lingayat the separate religion status,” he said.

Siddu added that it was Davanagere South MLA Shamanuru Shivashankarappa, a veteran Congress leader, who submitted to me a memorandum seeking creating Veerashaiva – Lingayat religion, he recollected.