Gyan Dev Ahuja, who represents Ramgarh constituency, said: "The first tribal leader on this earth was Hanuman. Most of the temples are also in his name. We must not disrespect him."
Ahuja also claimed Hanuman was reverend by the tribals.
"When Lord Ram was on his way from Chitrakoot to the southern part of the country for the exile, Hanuman made his army of tribals and got training from Lord Ram,” HT quoted Ahuja as saying.
The BJP leader said he was disturbed to see a photograph of Hanuman being disrespected during SC/ST act protest on April 2 in Barmer.
Ahuja is no stranger to controversies. In July 2016, amidst the raging JNU row, he stoked a controversy by alleging that the premier university is a hub of sex and drugs where over 3,000 used condoms and 2,000 liquor bottles are daily found.
He alleged that those studying in JNU were indulging in all these “illicit” activities.