Amid the growing debate and discussion over Lord Hanuman’s identity, Former Indian cricketer and UP Minister Chetan Chauhan said that the Lord was a sportsman who is worshipped by many sportspersons even today, ANI reported. He went onto add that Lord Hanuman’s caste should not be discussed.
I believe that he (Lord Hanuman) was a sportsman who use to wrestle with his enemies. All the sportsmen of our country worship him as they require power and energy like him to emerge victorious. The players do not worship him because of his caste. There is no caste of a Saint, there is no caste of a mystic and in the same way, we believe in Hanuman Ji. I consider him as God, I do not want him to get associated with some sought of caste.Chetan Chauhan, Former Cricketer to ANI
The row of Lord Hanuman’s caste was sparked after the Uttar Pradesh (UP) Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the Lord was “deprived and a Dalit”.
UP's Minister for Religious Affairs Chaudhary Laxmi Narayan Singh said he was a "Jat" while the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes Chairperson Nand Kumar Sai declared he was a tribal. And BJP MLC Bukkal Nawab claimed "Hanuman ji was a Muslim."
In the middle, a priest in Bhopal had also claimed that Lord Hanuman was neither a Dalit or tribal, but a Jain.
As the saga of Hanuman’s ‘mysterious’ identity continue, BJP MP, Kirti Azad from Bihar, jokingly stated that Hanuman was Chinese, India Today reported on Friday, 21 December.
"Hanuman ji was Chinese. There is a rumour going around that the Chinese are claiming that Hanuman ji was Chinese," Azad said.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)