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The BJP government has had a long association with the Ramayana, most of it to do with attempting to prove that the mythological tale is real history.

Soon after the Modi Administration announced that the Indian Army had carried out surgical strikes in Pakistan, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had said, “Indian troops were like Hanuman who did not quite know their prowess before the surgical strikes.” As a result of this, the Aam Aadmi Party filed a sedition case against Parrikar.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose line on the surgical strikes has been one of restraint, warned party members to avoid “chest thumping”.

Perhaps Manoj Tiwari, Bhojpuri actor and BJP Member of Parliament, did not get the memo. Performing as Angad, a Vaanar who helped Ram find Sita, at the Luv-Kush Ram Leela in New Delhi, he said about Hanuman, “When you refer to the Vaanar who burnt Lanka, are you referring to the one of the surgical strike fame?”

It wasn’t just a throwaway reference. He brought up the politically sensitive issue of the surgical strike because, he told ABP News, “Hanumanji was our first surgical striker”.

A line adopted by many among the rightwing troops on social media.