Testing its ties with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Shiv Sena on Saturday (December 22) once again criticised the party -- this time over the caste of Lord Hanuman, one of the Hindu epic Ramayan's most beloved characters. Sena, in an editorial in its mouthpiece Saamna, said the BJP has sidelined the Ram Mandir issue and now is looking to create a caste divide using Hanuman.

Commenting on recent comments made by BJP leaders on the caste of Hanuman, Sena said the politicians need to control what they say. "Serving Lord Ram was the caste of Hanuman," the editorial read.

The controversy over the caste of Hanuman has escalated in the past few days after BJP leaders identified him as a Dalit, a Muslim and a Jat. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, during an election rally in Rajasthan recently, had called Hanuman a Dalit. "Hanuman was a forest dweller, deprived and a Dalit. Bajrang Bali worked to connect all Indian communities together, from north to south and east to west. This was his resolve as it was Lord Ram's wish. Just like him, we should also not rest till we fulfill that wish," Adityanath had said.

Soon after Adityanath's remark, a race to give a new identity to Lord Hanuman started. On Thursday, Bukkal Nawab, a member of Uttar Pradesh's legislative council, said he was a Muslim. "Humaara maanna hai ki Hanumanji musalmaan the. Isliye musalmaanon mein naam rakha jaata hai Rehman, Ramzam, Farman, Zeeshan, Qurbaan. Saare naam kareeb kareeb unke naam se miltey hain [We believe Lord Hanuman was a Muslim. That's why all the Muslim names are derived from his name]," Nawab was quoted as saying by ANI.

Yesterday, UP religious affairs minister, Chaudhary Lakshmi Narayan Singh also jumped into the debate and called Hanuman a Jat. "When Jats see someone in trouble, they jump in to help -- even if they don't know the people or the issue. Hanuman did the same. He helped Lord Ram and his abducted wife Sita without knowing who they were," he said justifying his remark.



standard of discourse in India: PSE poll