The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday formally clarified that there was no such rule in the party mandating a person must retire after attaining the age of 75 years, even as Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut continued to harp on the Modi retirement controversy. A day after Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis rubbished Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut’s claim that Prime Minister Narendra Modi might retire in September this year, Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule said that there was no rule in his party mandating that a person must retire at the age of 75 years, and it was the people of the country who would decide on Modi’s tenure as the Prime Minister.
“There is no rule (in the party mandating that a person must retire at 75 years) nor is there any decision that respected Prime Minister Narendra Modiji should leave politics after the age of 75 years. It is not stated in any official policy of the BJP either. There is no such resolution or rule in the Indian Constitution either,” Bawankule said, as he dubbed Raut’s effort to rake up “Modi retirement” controversy as a “political stunt”. In a statement posted on micro-blogging site, Bawankule said, “Morarji Desai (83 years) and Dr Manmohan Singh were the Prime Minister till the age of 81. But Raut, who has become a victim of BJP hatred due to mental imbalance, will not remember this”.
“In Indian democracy, when a Prime Minister retires does not depend on morning bells like Sanjay Raut’s, but on the electoral mandate and blessings of the people. The term of @narendramodi as Prime Minister is decided by the people of this country, Sanjay Raut or the Opposition do not have that right. Prime Minister Modi has resolved to make India developed by 2047. This resolution will be fulfilled under his leadership,” Bawankule said.
Bawankule’s clarification came a day after Fadnavis said on Monday that there “is no need to search” for Modi’s successor, “he is our leader and will continue” and that he would return as Prime Minister in 2029.
Hours after Raut went to town saying that Modi had gone to the RSS headquarters on Sunday to “announce his retirement” as the Prime Minister, Fadnavis had said, “There is no need to search for his successor. He (Modi) is our leader and will continue... In 2029, we will see Modi as the Prime Minister again”. “In our culture, when the father is alive, it is inappropriate to talk about succession. That is Mughal culture. The time has not come to discuss it,” Fadnavis had said.
Not wanting to let Fadnavis off the hook, Raut wrote on “X” on Tuesday, “Dear Devendraji, Lord Ram and Lord Krishna Two significant figures in Hindu mythology appeared in the world and then departed after fulfilling their roles.”
Earlier on Monday morning, Raut had stirred up the hornet’s nest by saying that Modi went to the RSS headquarters to write his retirement application. He said that Modi might retire from active politics “when he turns 75 in September this year”. Raut also claimed that Modi’s successor would be from Maharashtra. “The RSS will decide as to who will be Modi’s successor”.
He (Modi) probably went to RSS headquarters to write his retirement application in September,” Raut had claimed. “From what I understand the ‘sangh parivar’ wants a change in the country’s leadership. PM Modi’s time is over. They want a change and want to choose the next BJP chief,” Raut had said.
