A barely concealed glee has been the predominant response on two occasions Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat took potshots at Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Soon after the 2024 Lok Sabha election results were announced, Bhagwat said a true sevak does not have arrogance—the remark was widely construed as his criticism of Modi’s personality. More recently, the RSS chief quipped, “We should not consider ourselves as God.” He seemed to be taking a crack at Modi, who, during the election campaign, claimed, “I am convinced that God has sent me. This energy [that I have] could not be from my biological body.”

The glee over Bhagwat’s potshots arises because of the feeling that a powerful voice from inside the Sangh Parivar, comprising the RSS and its 36 affiliates, including the Bharatiya Janata Party, has challenged Modi’s perceived authoritarianism and cultish leadership. But this challenge is not ideological for, except for making occasional ambiguous remarks, Bhagwat has seldom sought to bridge the social chasm Hindutva has been widening every passing day.