Lord Hanuman was a Ram devotee and a patriot, said Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Rameshwar Sharma on Friday.
Further requesting the politicians not to define the caste or language of Lord Hanuman, Sharma said that those who want to protect their "Lanka" should speak less about the Hindu god.
"Hanuman ji was a Ram devotee and a patriot. He contributed to the safety and security of all sections of society. He is the safety shield for all the eras. I want to request politicians also not to define the caste or language of Lord Hanuman," the BJP MLA told ANI.
"His national devotion, his religious and spiritual powers are the reason to worship him. The whole world knows who he was. If the politicians want to protect their Lanka, they should speak less about Lord Hanuman," Sharma added.
Earlier in the day, Uttar Pradesh Minister for Religious Affairs Laxmi Narayan Chaudhary likened Lord Hanuman's characteristics to that of a person belonging to the Jat community.
"I think Hanuman ji was a Jat because upon seeing someone being troubled, a Jat jumps in even without knowing the issue or the people. In this sense Hanuman ji's behaviour was very similar to that of a Jat because following Goddess Sita's abduction by Ravan, he immediately came to Lord Ram's help as his follower", UP Cabinet Minister Laxmi Narayan told ANI on Friday.
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Chaudhary, 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, BJP Member of Legislative Council (MLC) in Uttar Pradesh, Bukkal Nawab also gave a new dimension to the discussion over lord Hanuman's identity by claiming that he was a Muslim.
"I believe that Lord Hanuman was a Muslim. That is why the names of the people in Islam are almost similar to that of Lord Hanuman, whether it is Rehman, Ramzan, Farman, Zeeshan and Qurban. Such types of names are found in Islam only," Nawab argued.
Earlier, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi 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 Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister to disclose the caste of other deities as well.