The BJP in Kerala courted controversy on Friday after it claimed that Sree Narayana Guru, the iconic social reformer who fought regressive practices of the caste system, was a Hindu seer.

The Congress retaliated, saying the BJP was trying to push forward an agenda of religious fundamentalism.

The claim on the legacy of the spiritual guru (1856-1928) was posted on the BJP state unit’s Facebook page, even as the state celebrated Sree Narayana Guru’s birth anniversary.

 “Narayana Gurudevan is the greatest of Hindu sanyasis Kerala has contributed to the world,” the post read. It also said Guru’s actions were a “lesson” to pseudo-modernists.