Senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh has sought apology from BJP leaders for dragging Lord Hanuman into the politics of caste and creed.
While talking to media persons, here on Sunday, Singh said Hindu bodies like the VHP and Akhada Parishad should condemn the statements made by the BJP leaders over the Hindu deity who is worshipped as an incarnation of Lord Shiva.
He said, “(Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi) Adityanath ji said Lord Hanuman was dalit. BJP’s MLC Nawab Bukkal dubbed the deity a Muslim on the ground that his name rhymed with Islamic names like Rahman, Farhan, Ramzan etc. Another BJP minister said Hanuman was a Jat.”
Singh said Hindus considered Lord Hanuman as an incarnation of Lord Shiva. “You are dragging Hanuman ji into politics of caste and creed, which religion you are following? I have a strong objection to this. Who are you to talk like this, you (BJP leaders) should apologise”, he said.
The Congress veteran demanded that organisations like Akhada Parishad, an apex body of 13 major “akhadas” or ascetic denominations, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) condemn the statements made by the BJP leaders and snap ties with them.
Addressing a public meeting during the campaigning for recent-held assembly elections, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had reportedly said Lord Hanuman, one of the central figures in epic Ramayana, was a dalit.
Last week, Bukkal Nawab, a BJP MLC from Uttar Pradesh, claimed that the monkey god was a Muslim while UP’s Religious Affairs Minister Laxmi Narayan Chaudhary stated that the Hindu deity belonged to the Jat community.