Portrayal of Lord Hanuman at Nabin roadshow draws VHP’s ire

Lucknow: National general secretary of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) Ambarish Singh on Tuesday criticised the arrangement for the performance of an artist dressed as Lord Hanuman during the welcome procession of BJP national president Nitin Nabin in Lucknow last week.Describing the performance as “highly condemnable”, he urged the party to ensure such incidents are not repeated.The remarks came after visuals of a performer dressed as Lord Hanuman dancing in front of a chariot ferrying Nitin Nabin during a roadshow were circulated on social media. The incident triggered criticism from a section of social media users over the portrayal of the deity during a political event.In a social media post on Tuesday, Ambarish said that the portrayal of Lord Hanuman during the roadshow was inappropriate and hurt religious sentiments.“Those who planned this should be identified and held accountable. In future, the BJP should stay away from ‘event managers’ organising such programmes,” he said.Drawing a reference from the Mahabharata, Ambarish said Lord Hanuman was seated atop Arjuna’s chariot during the Kurukshetra war, symbolising the victory of ‘dharma’. He urged the party to remember the religious significance associated with the deity.He appealed to the BJP brass to prevent similar incidents in the future, saying the Hindu community has high expectations from the party and, therefore, its responsibility is greater.