Lucknow, Dec 1 (DC): After the Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath stirred a controversy by claiming that Lord Hanuman was a Dalit, Nand Kumar Sai, the chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes added fuel to the fire by claiming that Hanuman was a ‘gotra’ among tribals and Hanuman, therefore, was not a Dalit but a tribal.

Mr Sai said, “There is a Hanuman gotra among tribals, like there is ‘Giddha’ gotra or ‘Reechh’ gotra. There is a ‘Tigga’ gotra as well in which ‘Tigga’ means ‘vanar’ or monkey. There are various tribal communities and separate gotras. These, like the ‘Garud’ and ‘Reechh’ were part of Lord Ram’s army when he
went to war. Hanuman was definitely not a Dalit.”

Mr Sai further said that politicians were given to making statements at political rallies and the Uttar Pradesh chief minister would have to specify the context in which he called Hanuman a Dalit.

Meanwhile, UP BJP MLA Surendra Singh has also disapproved of Mr Adityanath’s reported statement.

It may be recalled that while addressing an election rally in Rajasthan, UP cinister Adityanath had reportedly called Hanuman a Dalit.

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Surendra Singh has also disapproved of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s reported statement terming Lord Hanuman as Dalit.

The Bharatiya Janata Party MLA said, “It is inappropriate to relate God with a caste. God is above caste. There are Gods of all castes... relating them with a particular caste in not appropriate,” he said.

Congress leader Pramod Tiwari has also condemned Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s remarks, and said that “The Bharatiya Janata Party divides individuals and the society but it is for the first time that it has divided Gods into castes.”