Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi: The Congress and other opposition parties have seized on recent remarks by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat suggesting that political leaders should step aside at the age of 75—a comment seen as indirectly aimed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who turns 75 on September 17 this year.
Opposition Demands PM’s “Retirement”
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, in a post on X, mocked PM Modi as a “poor award-winning Prime Minister,” adding, “What a homecoming—reminded by the RSS chief upon return that he will turn 75 on September 17, 2025. But the Prime Minister could also tell the RSS chief that he too will turn 75 on September 11, 2025!”
Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera went further, declaring that both PM Modi and Bhagwat should “pick up their bags and go guide each other.” Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut also questioned whether the Prime Minister would hold himself to the same standard reportedly imposed on senior BJP leaders like L.K. Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, and Jaswant Singh, who were sidelined after crossing 75. “Let’s see if he applies the same rule to himself now,” Raut remarked.
Bhagwat’s Remarks Spark Political Storm
The political row erupted after Mohan Bhagwat, speaking at a book launch event in Nagpur on Wednesday, said, “When you turn 75, it means you should stop now and make way for others.” He cited late RSS ideologue Moropant Pingle, who believed that receiving ceremonial honors like a shawl after 75 was a polite signal to step aside and let the younger generation take over.
Bhagwat’s comment drew attention because both he and Prime Minister Modi were born in September 1950—Bhagwat on the 11th and Modi on the 17th. This has fueled speculation about the future leadership within both the RSS and the BJP.
BJP Dismisses Retirement Talk
Earlier, Shiv Sena’s Raut had claimed that PM Modi’s visit to the RSS headquarters in Nagpur in March—his first in over a decade—was linked to discussions about potential retirement. The BJP, however, dismissed the claim as baseless, calling the visit routine.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has previously refuted any notion of an age-linked exit for Modi, stating in May 2023, “Modi ji will continue to lead till 2029. There is no retirement clause in the BJP constitution.”
As the debate over age limits in politics continues, Bhagwat’s remarks have added new fuel to the political discourse ahead of the 2025 Bihar election and the 2029 national polls.
