No God is Brahmin, Lord Shiv is Dalit: JNU VC replies on controversy over her remarks about caste of Hindu gods

From being known as one of the most prominent educational institutes in the country to being one of the most controversial Universities in India, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) is once again in the news for its Vice Chancellor’s controversial remarks on Hindu Gods.

Anthropologically Gods do not belong to the upper caste and Lord Shiva is a Dalit, JNU Vice Chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit said on Tuesday at the B R Ambedkar lecture series organised by Ministry of Social Justice.

She was analysing the work of Ambedkar and it is to the credit of Hinduism that great dissenters from Gautam Buddha to BR Ambedkar are celebrated, JNU Vice Chancellor clarified a day after the controversy over her remarks on Hindu Gods.

Pandit, who was speaking at the Dr B R Ambedkar Lecture Series titled Dr BR Ambedkar’s Thoughts on Gender Justice: Decoding the Uniform Civil Code, said Hinduism is the only religion and a way of life. Sanatan Dharma accepts dissent, diversity and difference. No other faith does it and it is to the credit of Hinduism that such great dissenters from Gautam Buddha to Ambedkar are celebrated, he explained today.

She was speaking on Ambedkar and gender justice, decoding uniform civil code. She had to analyse what was his thought so she was paraphrasing what Ambedkar said in his books these are not her ideas, she also clarified.

Referring to her remarks, Pandit said that all women are Shudras according to the ManuSmriti and she was speaking on Ambedkar, who has written a lot on ManuSmriti and it is he who said all this.

She was only analysing his viewpoint and he being the father of the Indian constitution and the chairman of the drafting committee- it is extremely important to understand his philosophy, he had said in his lecture on Ambedkar.