NCST Official claimed that Lord Hanuman was tribal
What's the story
National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) chairperson Nand Kumar Sai has claimed that Hanuman was a tribal, just days after Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that the Lord Rama's ardent devotee was a Dalit. During an event in Lucknow yesterday, Sai said, "I want to make it clear... In the Kanwar tribe, which I belong to, there's a gotra (clan) called 'Hanuman'."
Statement
Sai explains the context behind his logic
Sai further said, "People think that there were monkeys, bears, and vultures in the army of Lord Ram. In Kurukh, language spoken by people belonging to the Oraon tribe, tigga (a gotra) means vanar (monkey). "Similarly, 'Giddh' or vulture is a gotra in many other Scheduled Tribes. Therefore, I believe they belonged to the tribal community and accompanied Lord Ram in the big war."
Yogi's statement
Hanuman was a forest dweller, deprived and a Dalit: Yogi
While addressing a rally in Rajasthan recently, Yogi had said, "Hanuman was a forest dweller, deprived and a Dalit. Bajrang Bali worked to unite all Indian communities," which got him a legal notice from a right-wing group. Meanwhile, Sai had said earlier that politicians were given to make statements during rallies, and Yogi should specify the context in which he called Hanuman a Dalit.