Since Yogi Adityanath’s ‘Dalit’ Hanuman comment last month, BJP leaders have been tripping over themselves to offer new labels to the God.
New Delhi: The debates over why ‘angry’ Hanuman had become a viral piece of artwork had not even ended when along came Yogi Adityanath and labelled him a ‘Dalit’.
Soon, everybody had an opinion on who the Monkey God from the Ramayana was supposed to be, in terms of his caste, ethnicity and even profession.
Here’s a round-up of all that he’s recently been purported to be:
‘Rudra’ Hanuman
Graphic artist Karan Acharya originally created the vector image of Hanuman in 2015. In 2016, the trend began to appear on the streets of Bengaluru, and finally peaked in the early months of 2018.
Acharya told Scroll that his Hanuman is “not angry, he is just ‘attitude’ Hanuman”. But by then the art had gone beyond the artist, and vector Hanuman became ‘Rudra’ Hanuman.
“The Bajrang Dal was quick to co-opt this image. It appeared on its flags in rallies. And on the cover for its new theme song — a catchy, modern tune — Hanuman is depicted as aggressive, indomitable, single-mindedly slaying his enemies,” wrote journalist Nilanjana Bhowmick in April.
‘Dalit’ Hanuman
At an election rally in Rajasthan on 28 November, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and BJP’s saffron ambassador Yogi Adityanath said: “Hanuman was a forest dweller, deprived and a Dalit.”
While the allusion may have been to Hanuman being a God of all classes, as some have tried to explain, the part that went viral was of Adityanath calling Hanuman a ‘Dalit’,
The very next day, he was served a legal notice for invoking the God for ‘political mileage’ and hurting the ‘religious sentiments of devotees’. Adityanath faced severe backlash, even from members within his own party. BJP chief Amit Shah also distanced himself from the statement by refusing to comment on it.
Dalit leaders, meanwhile, began embracing the tag. Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad said Dalits should take over all Hanuman temples in the country, and people from the community should be appointed priests there.
Bahraich MP and former BJP leader Savitri Bai Phule followed suit, saying on 4 December: “Lord Hanuman was a Dalit and a slave of Manuvadi people. He was a Dalit and a human. He did all for Lord Ram — then why he was given a tail and his face blackened?”
Also read: Yogi Adityanath’s ‘Hanuman-Dalit’ remark has put off BJP’s loudest cheerleaders — seers
‘Tribal’ Hanuman
Close on the heels of Adityanath’s statement, BJP leader Nand Kumar Sai asserted that Hanuman was a tribal on 30 November. Sai is chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes.
“People think there were monkeys, bears, and vultures in the army of Lord Rama. In the Kurukh language spoken by people belonging to the Oraon tribe, ‘Tigga’ (a gotra or clan) means ‘vanar’ (monkey). In the Kanwar tribe, which I belong to, there’s a gotra called ‘Hanuman’,” he said.
“Similarly, ‘Giddh’ or vulture is a gotra in many other Scheduled Tribes. Therefore, I believe they belonged to the tribal community and were with Lord Rama in the war.”
‘Jain’ Hanuman
On 2 December, a Jain priest from Madhya Pradesh, Acharya Nirbhay Sagar Maharaj ventured that Hanuman was really a Jain.
“Hanuman was a Kamdev. In Jainism, there are 24 Kamdevs. Hanuman was a Kshatriya (warrior),” he said. To back his claim, he cited Jain scriptures and asserted like any other, Hanuman actually had no caste.
‘Muslim’ Hanuman
Breaking the trend of determining Hanuman’s caste, UP BJP MLC Bukkal Nawab said
Hanuman was not Hindu at all, but Muslim. The 64-year-old based his deduction on rhymes.
“Hamara maanna hai Hanuman ji Musalman thhe. Isliye Musalman ke andar jo naam rakha jata hai… Rehman, Ramzan, Farman, Zishan, Qurban… Jitne bhi naam rakhey jaate hain, woh karib karib unhi par rakhe jaate hain (We believe Hanuman was Muslim, that’s why several Muslim names follow after his),” he said.
‘Jat’ Hanuman
UP minister Chaudhary Laxmi Narayan on 21 December likened Hanuman’s ‘nature’ to that of the Jats, hence demarcating his caste based on his actions.
Narayan said: “If there is injustice to anyone, then the Jat has to jump in without knowing it. Such was the nature of Hanumanji.”
Also read: Yogi says Hanuman is Dalit, but will Hindu temples now stop being Brahmin monopoly?
‘Sportsperson’ Hanuman
The deity is well known for his strong build and ability to carry heavy objects. Following from that, UP Sports Minister and former cricketer Chetan Chauhan said Hanuman was a sportsperson. He completely dismissed any debate around his caste since “Gods don’t have one”.
Return of the angry Hanuman
Amid all these statements, Congress UP chief Raj Babbar took a swipe at the BJP for politicising Hanuman’s caste. Referring to the party’s recent loss in three heartland states, he said it should not trouble the deity too much.
“The BJP should understand that they should not bother Lord Hanuman, a swipe of his tail left them without three states, now your Lanka will be on fire,” Babbar said Monday.