Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's announcement that he will put forward a proposal before the Centre to rename the Bengaluru metro rail project after the 12th-century social reformer Basavanna is being seen as yet another attempt by the Congress to woo the dominant Lingayat community, considered a traditional vote bank of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

This comes at a time when the Opposition BJP has accused the Congress government of trying to \"divide\" the Veerashaiva-Lingayat community through the ongoing Social and Educational Survey. In the run-up to the launch of the survey, the State Cabinet, too, had seen sharp divisions, with some Ministers calling for a postponement due to objections to certain caste names and the religion status of Lingayats.

At the valedictory cerem

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