Lord Hanuman was a Jaat, says Uttar Pradesh minister Laxmi Narayan Chaudhary

Uttar Pradesh Minister for Religious Affairs Laxmi Narayan Chaudhary courted controversy on Friday after his remark claiming that Lord Hanuman was a Jaat. He made the comment as according to him a Jaat too helps after seeing a person in trouble without even knowing the issue or the person.

The comment comes at the backdrop of state Bharatiya Janata Party`s (BJP) MLC Bukkal Nawab sparking controversy claiming that Lord Hanuman was a Muslim.

#WATCH Uttar Pradesh Minister Chaudhary Lakshmi Narayan says ' I think Hanuman ji was a Jaat, because upon seeing someone being troubled a Jaat also jumps in even without knowing the issue or the people' pic.twitter.com/Scjme1PgCD — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) December 21, 2018

Chaudhary said, "I think Hanuman was a Jaat, because upon seeing someone being troubled a Jaat also jumps in even without knowing the issue or the people. In this sense, Hanuman's behaviour was very similar to that of Jaat because following Goddess Sita`s abduction by Raavan he immediately came to Lord Ram`s help as his follower."

The minister who also holds charge of Dairy Development, Culture, Minority Welfare, Muslim Waqf and Haj, further explained that a person`s lineage can be deciphered by noting their behaviour.

"Everyone who believes in the Sanatan Dharm would surely worship Lord Hanuman. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has already given an explanation on this issue. When yesterday this topic came to my notice, I gave my view that it is through an individual`s behaviour that we conclude about one`s lineage," the minister opined.

On Thursday, Nawab had said, "I believe that Lord Hanuman was a Muslim. That is why the names of the people in Islam are almost similar to Lord Hanuman, whether it is Rehman, Ramzan, Farman, Zeeshan and Qurban. Such types of names are found in Islam only."

Earlier, CM Adityanath, while addressing an election rally in Alwar in Rajasthan, had said that Lord Hanuman was 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," he had said.

Various political parties had condemned Adityanath`s remarks, with Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav asking the UP CM to disclose the caste of other deities as well.