Cong leader flays Yogi Adityanath’s Hanuman remark

The Congress, trying to build pressure on the BJP on the casteist remark on Lord Hanuman made by Yogi Adityanath, on Friday brought in the Kalki Peeth head and party leader, Acharya Pramod Krishnam, to take on the Uttar Pradesh chief minister.

“Ravana (demon king) had also made the mistake of asking Hanuman’s caste and everyone knows what the result was. People of country, especially people of Rajasthan, will give a befitting reply to this,” said Krishnam, addressing a press conference at the Congress office in Jaipur.

Yogi Adityanath, while addressing a rally in Malpura assembly constituency of Alwar district on Wednesday, had called Lord Hanuman a Dalit. While praising the deity, he had called that “all of us must have a resolution like Lord Hanuman”.

Krishnam said that religious saints from across the country will campaign for the Congress in Rajasthan. He said that he had discussions with many prominent saints and the decision was taken to canvass for Congress.

“There are crores of Hanuman devotees in the country and people have caste. Hanuman is Rudra avtar of Lord Shiva. Gods do not have caste as they are above caste, gotra and vansh,” he said. “When a person is intoxicated with power, he starts speaking about God’s caste. I condemn this statement of Yogi,” he added.

Krishnam said after the change of government at the centre in 2019, they will build pressure on the government to construct Ram Mandir. “Congress party’s stand is that they will go by the Supreme Court’s order. But I and all other saints will request and build pressure on the government coming to power to construct Ram Mandir, because Ram Mandir should be built in Ayodhaya,” he added.

He said BJP had not fulfilled the promise of building Ram Mandir. He had discussed with many prominent saints across the country and decided that religious saints will campaign for Congress in Rajasthan.

BJP spokesperson Mukesh Pareek said, “Lord Hanuman is of everyone and every person sees Lord Hanuman as himself as we are connected to Him. If God has been called Dalit, then I would like to ask is Dalit word bad. If Congress finds Dalit as bad then it should clarify it. God is of everyone including Dalit, vanvasi (tribals), poor or rich.”

The Congress has also complained to the Election Commission of India on Adityanath’s statement.

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