Shivpal Yadav Led Party Seeks Caste Certificate For Lord Hanuman

SHIVPAL Singh Yadav headed Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party- Lohia (PSPL)) has demanded a caste certificate from the Varanasi administration for Lord Hanuman worshipped by the Hindu community. The PSPL threatened to launch a sit-in if the certificate was not issued within a week. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath courted controversary after recently saying Lord Hanuman was a Dalit. “We have applied for caste certificate of Lord Hanuman at the office of the Varanasi district magistrate. As the CM has termed him as a Dalit and dragged the deity in petty caste politics, we want his caste certificate,” PSPL youth wing district chief Harish Mishra said. In the proforma submitted by the PSPL to the administration, a photograph of Lord Hanuman was pasted with Maharaj Keshari named as his father and Anjana Devi, his mother. The famous Sankat Mochan temple was declared as his residence and Dalit was mentioned in the caste column. His age was mentioned as ‘amar’ (immortal) by the PSPL worker and the year of birth was “anant” (infinite).Mishra claimed that they have formally submitted the form in due proforma for obtaining the caste certificate. Adityanath’s controversial statement at a poll rally in Rajasthan had triggered a debate with the opposition accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of indulging in politics of caste while one of its own Dalit MP’s quitting the organization-Bahraich BJP MP Savitri Bai Phule claimed that Lord Hanuman was “a Dalit and a slave of ‘manuwadi’ people” and alleged that Dalits and backwards were being called monkey and demon. The Lok Sabha member accused the BJPM ofh playing politics to divide the society.“Lord Hanuman was a Dalit and a slave of ‘manuwadi’ people. He was a Dalit and a human. He did all for Lord Ram, but then why was he given a tail and his face blackened? Why was he made a monkey?,” Phule had posed.“When he did all for Lord Ram with devotion, he (Lord Hanuman) should have been made a human and not a monkey. At that time also he had to face humiliation due to being a Dalit. Why can’t we Dalits be considered humans?”, she had said. Later, at a poll rally in Malakheda of Alwar district of Rajasthan, Adityanath had said “Lord 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.”After this statement, Bhim Army chief Chandrasekhar had asked members of his community to take over all temples belonging to Lord Hanuman. Hindu scriptures assert that Lord Hanuman, the earliest and great Ram devotee, was blessed by all Gods, Goddesses and seers.Pavan Dev, Lord of the Winds, is the spiritual father of Lord Hanuman.(inputs from The Pioneer)