Maharashtra BJP chief says no 75-year age rule in party
Maharashtra state BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule stated that there is no rule in the saffron party mandating retirement at 75.;
Mumbai: A day after Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said that prime minister Narendra Modi would lead the country for many more years, state BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule stated that there is no rule in the saffron party mandating retirement at 75.
“There is no rule that Narendra Modi should leave politics after 75 years. Nothing like this is mentioned in the official policy of the BJP. Also, there is no such resolution in the Indian Constitution,” Mr. Bawankule said on X.
“Former BJP leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee served as prime minister till the age of 79, while Morarji Desai (83) and Dr Manmohan Singh (81) also held the position beyond the age of 75. However, Raut, blinded by his animosity towards the BJP, seems to have forgotten this,” he said.
Mr. Bawankule’s fiery retort came on the backdrop of senior Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut’s claims that Modi would step down as PM in September and his successor would be from Maharashtra. Calling Raut’s remark a ‘political stunt,’ Mr. Bawankule said, “It is the people of the country who would decide on Mr. Modi’s tenure as the Prime Minister, not Sanjay Raut or the opposition.”
Mr. Modi had resolved to make India a developed nation by 2047 and “this vision will be realised under his leadership,” the BJP leader said. Mr. Raut on Monday had claimed that RSS had summoned the Prime Minister to discuss the issue of his successor.
On Sunday, the PM visited Nagpur, where he paid floral tribute to the Sangh founder Keshav Baliram Hedgewar at Smruti Mandir in Reshimbagh. It was his first since becoming Prime Minister 11 years ago.
Mr. Raut said that PM Modi should retire as he will turn 75 in September, adding that Modi himself had introduced the rule within his party.
However, Mr. Fadnavis had rejected speculation saying Modi would continue leading the country beyond 2029. “There is no need to search for his successor. He (Modi) is our leader and will continue. 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,” Mr. Fadnavis said.
