‘Can a divine be eligible for Indian citizenship?’ Shashi Tharoor on PM Modi's ‘God sent me’ remark

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Friday took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his not . In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the Thiruvananthapuram MP shared a snippet in which PM Modi said, “I am convinced I was not born biologically, God sent me".

Tharoor asked an “innocent question" from the of India. “Can a divine being be eligible for citizenship in India, and if not, does he have the right to vote or to contest elections? " he posted on the microblogging site.

“Could @ECISVEEP look into the question of a self-proclaimed divinity participating in the electoral fray?" the Congress leader asked.

PM Modi, in an interview with News18 in theconstituency, commented in Hindi, “When my mother was alive, I believed I was born biologically. After she passed away, upon reflecting on all my experiences, I was convinced that God had sent me."

“Pehle jab tak maa zinda thi mujhe lagta tha ki shayad biologically mujhe janam diya gaya hai. Maa ke jaane ke baad in saare anubhavo ko mai jod kar dekhta hoon to mai convince ho chuka hu, galat ho sakta hoon, aalochak, left log toh meri dhajjiya uda denge, mere baal noch lenge…mai convince ho chuka hoon ki parmatma ne mujhe bheja hai."

“Ye urja biological shareer se nahi mili hai, ye urja ishwar mujhse kuch kaam lena hai, isliye mujhe vidha bhi di hai, samarthya bhi diya hai…aur mai kuch nahi hoon, ek instrument hoon jo ishwar mere roop me kiya hai (This energy could not be from my biological body, but was bestowed upon me by God. I believe God has given me abilities, inspiration, and good intentions for a purpose… I am nothing but an instrument.)"

This remark quickly gathered the opposition's attention with several political leaders attacking the Prime Minister over his statement