Ramgarh, May 25: A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Rajasthan’s Ramgarh termed the Hindu god Hanuman as the world’s first tribal leader. At the party office on Friday Ramgarh’s MLA Gyan Dev Ahuja said that Hanuman was the first adivasi saint.

“World’s first tribal leader was Hanuman ji. First saint among the adivasis was Hanuman ji. When Lord Ram was on his way from Chitrakoot to the southern part of the country for the exile, Hanuman made his army of tribals and got training from Lord Ram,” reported Hindustan Times quoting Ahuja as saying. According to the report, the BJP MLA after seeing a picture of Hanuman placed under Bhim Rao called up BJP MP from Rajasthan, Kirodi Lal Meena and said that they all should be ashamed and they were disrespecting the god.

Ahuja told Hindustan Times, “These SC/ST people call themselves tribals. Even if they call Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar as their god, the first true tribal leader in the world was Hanuman ji. He is their first god. He trained the Dalits.” According to the MLA, the Hanuman has 40 lakh temples all over the world. He claimed that it is the highest number of temples for any god.

However, Meena trying to avaoid any controversy to HT, “During Hanuman ji’s era, there was no politics. Ahuja would be better aware as to why he has called Hanuman a tribal.” This is not the first time that BJP leaders has stirred a controversy by referring to Hindu Gods. In April this year, Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Dev also claimed that the internet and satellite communication existed during Mahabharata.

 

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 26, 2018 12:14 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).