Lord Hanuman was slave of 'manuwadi' people: BJP MP
Lucknow, Dec 4: Bahraich BJP MP Savitri Bai Phule Tuesday claimed that Lord Hanuman was "a Dalit and a slave of 'manuwadi' people", joining a row which erupted over UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's statement that the deity was a Dalit.
She alleged that Dalits and backwards were being called 'bandar' (monkey) and 'rakshas' (demon).
"Lord Hanuman was a Dalit and a slave of 'manuwadi' people. He was a Dalit and a human. He did all for Lord Ram then why he was given a tail and his face was blackened. Why was he made a monkey?," Phule said.
"When he did all for Lord Ram with devotion, he (Lord Hanuman) should have been made a human and not a 'bandar' (monkey). At that time also he had to face humiliation due to being a Dalit. Why can't we Dalits be considered humans?", she told PTI over phone.
During a poll rally in Malakheda of Alwar district, Adityanath had said, "Lord 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."
After his statement, Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar asked members of his community to take over all temples belonging to Lord Hanuman.
"Dalits should take over all Hanuman temples in the country and appoint Dalits as priests there," Chandrashekhar had said.
When asked about the Ram temple issue, which is pending in the Supreme Court, Phule said the BJP is raking up the matter as it has no other issues.
"The country does not need a temple. Will it end unemployment and other problems of Dalits and backwards? The temple will benefit Brahmins, who are only 3 per cent. The money offered in temples are used by them for their gains and make our community (Dalit) their slave," she said.
"We want rights given to us in the constitution," the BJP MP said, adding that "Hamko adhikar chahiya warna kursi khali karo (Give us our rights or leave the government)".
Phule had earlier raised questions on BJP leaders dining at the houses of Dalits and had termed the founder of Pakistan Muhammad Ali Jinnah, "a mahapurush" (great personality), causing embarrassment to her party.
When asked to comment on the statement of Phule, BJP spokesman Chandra Mohan said, "It seems she didn't have much knowledge of Indian tradition."
On her attacking the BJP on the Ram temple issue, he said he would not like to comment and people know what she was doing.
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No more street vending on B’luru’s main roads, as govt plans to bring new policy for street hawkers
Bengaluru: Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Friday said that the state government has decided to formulate a new policy for footpaths in Bengaluru, under which street vending will not be allowed on main roads and sub-main roads.
Addressing the media after a budget preparation meeting and executive meeting of GBA corporations at Vidhana Soudha, Shivakumar said discussions were held with MLAs from the GBA region regarding the corporations’ budgets and key civic issues.
Leader of Opposition R. Ashok also participated in the meeting and shared his views. Officials from multiple departments, including police, BESCOM, BMRCL, BWSSB and BDA, along with ministers and legislators, were present.
He stated that all five municipalities have prepared their individual budgets, while MLAs have submitted their demands, including calls for ward-wise grants.
“We have decided to bring a new policy for footpaths. Citizens are struggling to walk as footpaths are encroached upon by street vendors,” Shivakumar said.
Highlighting the need to balance livelihoods and public convenience, he added that “a separate space will be provided for street vendors, and specific roads will be designated for their business,” ensuring that pedestrians can use footpaths without obstruction. He noted that there was unanimous agreement among MLAs on this approach.
Issuing a warning to vendors, Shivakumar said that authorities will act against those violating the rules. “If vendors operate during the day and leave their carts on the roadside at night, authorities will clear them. People should be aware of this,” he said.
Providing data on street vendors, he said that around 60,000 vendors have registered so far, of which 30,000 have applied for vehicles, and a tender has already been floated.
“Only those with street vendor identity cards will be allowed to do business. Those without ID cards will not be permitted to operate on the streets,” he added.
