In an interesting twist to the debate over Lord Hanuman after Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath termed the god a Dailt, his party colleague and MLC Bukkal Nawab Thursday said the deity was "actually a Muslim".
"Lord Hanuman belongs to all, and as far as I think, Hanumanji was actually a Muslim," Nawab, who left the Samajwadi Party to join the BJP when the Yogi Adityanath government came to power, told reporters here.
He argued that the deity's name is very similar to the names among Muslims and many of them are named after him.
"Hamara manana hai Hanuman ji Musalman thhe. Isliye Musalmanon ke andar jo naam rakha jata hai... Rehman, Ramzan, Farman, Zishan, Qurban... Jitne bhi naam rakhey jaate hain, woh karib karib unhi par rakhe jaate hain, he said.
Nawab, 64, who publicly offered prayers at a Hanuman temple last year, is the latest political figure to have weighed in on Lord Hanuman's identity.
While campaigning during the recent Assembly elections, Adityanath reportedly said, "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 offered prayers there, prompting the SP to comment, "It is nothing but a publicity stunt. He is hopping from one temple to another to hog media limelight."
When the BJP returned the favour and gave him an MLC ticket for the UP council's biennial elections, he said, "My wish has been fulfilled by Lord Hanuman."