Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat said on Thursday that people, not individuals, should decide whether someone should be treated like a god.

The Sangh is the parent organisation of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

Bhagwat was speaking at an event marking the centenary year of Shankar Dinkar Kane’s birth. Kane was a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leader who worked on children’s education in Manipur, reported the Hindustan Times.

Speaking about Kane’s work, Bhagwat said: “We should strive to do as much good work in our life as possible. No one is saying that we should not shine or stand out. Through the work, everyone can become a revered figure. But whether we have reached that level will be determined by others, not by ourselves. We should not proclaim that we have become god.”

While Bhagwat did not clarify if his remark was directed at a specific person, it seemed to reference Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s claim of not being born biologically.

“Until my mother was alive, I used to think I was born biologically,” Modi had told News18 in May while campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections. “After her demise, when I look at my experiences, I am convinced that I was sent by god. This strength is not from my body. It has been given to me by god.”

Modi also said: “That’s why god also gave me the ability, strength, pure heartedness and also the inspiration to do this. I’m nothing but an instrument that god has sent.”

The Opposition Congress has repeatedly criticised Modi for these remarks.

Since the Lok Sabha election results were announced in early June, senior members of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh have made several statements that have been seen as critical of the BJP leadership and its functioning.

The BJP won 240 seats in the general election, a significant dip from its tally of 303 seats in 2019. Falling short of the majority mark, it had to depend on its partners in the National Democratic Alliance to form the government at the Centre.

Indresh Kumar, a leader of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, had said on June 13 that the BJP failed to secure the majority in the polls due to “arrogance”.

Bhagwat said on June 10 that Manipur has been waiting for peace for over a year and that the situation in the state requires urgent attention. The BJP is in power in Manipur.

The Congress capitalised on Bhagwat’s remarks to criticise Modi for not visiting Manipur even once since the ethnic conflict there broke out in May 2023.

Bhagwat also lamented in June that decorum was not maintained during the general election campaign.

“The kind of things that were said, the way the two sides [the ruling National Democratic Alliance and the Opposition] castigated each other…The way no one cared about social divisions being created because of what was being done…And for no reason the Sangh was dragged into this…How will the country operate like this?” asked Bhagwat.