In North Karnataka, Lingayats form the dominant community. While the region is one of the most under-reported and under-served areas in India, it is also the one that has been the most neglected by almost every government that ruled the state. In contrast, there are many educational institutions in the region. The Government of Karnataka data from 2017 puts the overall number across the state as: 28 govt run universities, 14 private universities, 11 deemed-to-be universities, 1 central university, 190 engineering colleges, 45 medical and 41 dental colleges, 750 degree colleges, 5235 Pre University colleges, 48909 Government schools and 19670 private schools. Of these, at least one third are run by Lingayats.

When the Siddaramiah government decided to back religious minority status for Lingayats, one of the main charges was of it being in favour of educational institutions to seek exemption from the provisions of RTE (Right to Education). We speak to Nithin Jawali, Governing Council member, Hyderabad Karnataka Education Society, at Kalaburagi (better known as Gulbarga) to understand the impact of the move on education, politics and Karnataka as a whole. Click here to support The Wire: https://yt.orcsnet.com/#the-wire