Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday rejected speculation about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s retirement, asserting that he will continue to lead India for many years.
Fadnavis was responding to Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut’s claim that Modi visited the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) headquarters in Nagpur to signal his retirement. Dismissing this, Fadnavis said, “In 2029, we will see Modi as the prime minister again.”
Fadnavis insisted there was no need to talk about Modi’s successor while he remains active in politics. “There is no need to search for his successor. He (Modi) is our leader and will continue,” he said. He also criticized Raut’s remarks, stating that discussing succession in Indian culture is inappropriate.
“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 said, referring to Raut’s claim that Modi’s successor would be from Maharashtra.
On Monday, Raut claimed that the RSS wanted a new political leadership. He alleged, “He (Modi) probably went to the RSS headquarters to write his retirement application in September.” Raut linked his claim to the fact that some leaders in the ruling party retire at 75. Modi will turn 75 this September.
This was Modi’s first visit to the RSS headquarters in Nagpur since becoming prime minister 11 years ago. He described the RSS as the “banyan tree of India’s immortal culture.”
The Ptime Minister’s visit also included a stop at the Dr Hedgewar Smruti Mandir, where he paid tribute to RSS founder K B Hedgewar. The RSS headquarters in Mahal and the Smruti Mandir in Reshimbagh are considered key sites for the organization.
Modi became the second sitting prime minister to visit the RSS headquarters, following Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who visited in 2000 during his third term. This is also Modi’s third term in office.
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