Amid the coronavirus scare, the government of Chhattisgarh is busy hunting for the footprints of Ram. Chief minister Bhupesh Baghel made a public admission to that effect on 26 April 2020. The government believes that Ram spent a part of his exile in the forests of Chhattisgarh. It intends to identify the places where Ram camped and develop and market them as tourist destinations. A host of Dalit, Adivasi and OBC intellectuals have opposed the idea, arguing that it would strengthen the cultural hegemony of the upper castes (dwij) and undermine the Dalitbahujan countercultural resistance movement. One of the notable opponents of this proposed plan is Nand Kumar Baghel, who happens to be the father of the chief minister.
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