In another four years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be about 79. But that shouldn’t comfort leaders from his political rival camp. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has brushed aside theories that India’s PM, now 74, is nearing retirement and that Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) will choose his successor.
PM Modi will turn 75 in September.
The BJP, on a lighter note, is a ‘young’ party of septuagenarians. A search reveals that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri are in their 70s, but are proudly wearing the badge of longevity.
“There is no need to search for his successor. He (Modi) is our leader and will continue to lead the country. In 2029, too, we see him as the Prime Minister. So does the whole country. So it won’t be appropriate to discuss it…,” Fadnavis told reporters in Nagpur.
He also dismissed suggestions that PM Modi’s successor will likely be from Maharashtra, Fadnavis was quoted as saying: “In our Indian culture, it is inappropriate to talk about succession when the father is alive. That is Mughal culture. The time has not come to discuss it.”
Senior RSS leader Suresh ‘Bhaiyyaji’ Joshi said he too was not aware of any discussion regarding a replacement.
Earlier, MP Sanjay Raut claimed that PM Modi will retire at the age of 75, following the BJP’s tradition. The Sena (UBT) leader said Modi never visited the RSS headquarters in the last 11 years but he did so on Sunday to inform them that he was quitting. Raut revealed they also discussed his successor, a media outlet reported.
“At this moment, it seems that the RSS will decide (the successor) and that is why Modi was called… The discussions of the Sangh take place behind closed doors and those discussions probably do not come out. Still, there are some indications, and those indications are clear. The next leader will be decided by the Sangh and he will most likely be from Maharashtra,” Raut said.
“Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat and the entire Sangh Parivar want a change in the country’s leadership. Now Modi’s term is over. The RSS now wants to have a presence in the country. It also wants a say in electing the BJP national president. Therefore, Modi went to the RSS headquarters to see off and say that he is leaving,”
Raut was critical of PM Modi’s statement that the RSS was involved in India’s freedom struggle. He said, “The RSS was nowhere in the Indian freedom struggle. What was its contribution? Narendra Modi should take a briefing from us on this. What did the RSS do for breaking the shackles of slavery?”
He added, “For 150 years, this country was bound by the shackles of slavery. From Mahatma Gandhi to Pandit Nehru, Sardar Patel, Savarkar, this struggle took place under the leadership of all of them and the shackles of slavery were broken.”
