Speculation that Prime Minister Narendra Modi could "retire" at 75 in September—stepping down in accordance with the wish of the BJP's ideological mentor, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh—has been clearly denied by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat.
Bhagwat, who will turn 75 six days before the Prime Minister, told reporters Thursday evening, "I never said I will retire or that someone else should retire when they turn 75..."
"We will do what the Sangh tells us," he said, as the RSS celebrates its 100th anniversary.
"In the Sangh, we are swayamsevaks... we are given a job, whether we want it or not," he said, declaring also that he would continue to run the RSS "even if I am 80 years old".
"We do whatever we are told to do," he explained.
The BJP has all along asserted that there is no mandate for Mr. Modi to resign after becoming 75 years old.
The party has pointed towards instances from the central government, like 80-year-old Bihar chief Jitan Ram Manjhi, who is the Minister for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises, to show that the much-hyped age "limit" is not being followed. The other leaders, including the Prime Minister himself, are reaching that age mark in a year or two.
BJP leaders have also made it a continuous refrain—Home Minister Amit Shah made the point particularly strongly in May last year, before a federal election when the opposition had promised that Mr. Modi would be disqualified under the "75-year rule"—that the Prime Minister will not be stepping aside from politics after his birthday on September 17.
Recently, the opposition has frequently cited this alleged "rule," partly in response to Mr. Shah's comments ahead of the 2019 election, which mentioned that the party had decided not to nominate candidates older than 75.
Mr Shah said then that was an electoral decision and stressed, "There is no provision regarding age, anywhere in the Constitution of the BJP."
Despite the opposition's protests are based on logical reasoning they did point out BJP stalwarts (including LK Advani and Murali Manohar Joshi) who were in thier 90s when they were withdrawn from the party in 2019, as well as, Bhagat Singh Koshyari at 76 and BC Khanduri at 85 in similar circumstances at that time of the party's history.
Aam Aadmi Party chief, Arvind Kejriwal commented as he was in the midst of a campaign for elections that Mr. Modi "will retire next year. He is asking for votes to make Amit Shah the Prime Minister."
Back at that time, Mr. Shah did clarify that the BJP did not have a demand for leaders to retire at 75.
There was new speculation surrounding Mr. Modi's "going to be resigning" in March in 2023 after he had made a trip to Nagpur—the headquarters for the RSS—for the first time in 11 years as Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister's trained mind caught the attention of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader, Sanjay Raut, who remarked the journalist that the RSS called the Prime Minister by Congress and BJP, to determine if it was time for a successor.
"He (Mr Modi) probably went to the RSS headquarters to write his retirement application in September," Mr Raut declared, claiming also his successor would be from Maharashtra.
"Modi's successor will be from Maharashtra... and the RSS will decide on that."
The response, again, was swift. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said, "In 2029 we will see Modi as Prime Minister again" and hit out at talk of "our father" being phased out.
Meanwhile, the RSS did take a jab at the BJP over its protracted hunt for a new national boss, a search many feel is being overseen by the RSS. But Mr Bhagwat said this is not the case, and indicated if that were, in fact, the case, "It wouldn't have taken this (much) time to decide".
"Take your time. We don't have to say anything. They have to decide," he said, in remarks seen as a sharp reminder to the what is widely seen as the RSS' political wing to announce a name, fast.
According to sources, NDTV reported last week that the BJP is likely to appoint a new president prior to the Bihar election. Sources also mentioned that the processes of electing a new president have been delayed for a variety of reasons, including because of the extensive consultations with senior leaders of the party and the RSS.
'Struggle Might Be There But No Quarrel': RSS Chief on Ties with BJP-led Govt
The BJP's ideological mentor Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh "has no quarrel" with the party-led government, said Mohan Bhagwat today as the organization celebrated its 100th anniversary. He went on to clarify further, "It is also not the case that the RSS takes decisions for the BJP," refuting and laying to rest allegations often made, especially by the Opposition."We have good coordination with the Centre and states. There are systems that have internal contradictions... There is no quarrel in any way... we have good coordination with every government," Mr Bhagwat said at a press conference on Day 3 of the 'RSS Centenary Lecture Series - 100 Years of Sangh's Journey: New Horizons' at Delhi's Vigyan Bhavan.
"Struggle might be there but there is no quarrel. When we talk of compromise, the struggle deepens," he said.
There have been consistent accusations that the BJP and its government are guided by the party's ideological guru. Some others opine that the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his trusted lieutenant Amit Shah is at variance with the Sangh on various matters.
As for decision-making, Mr. Bhagwat admitted that the RSS and the BJP don't always agree, but the RSS believes in its members and is sure they would ultimately "converge.
Decisions, he said, are taken collectively. The RSS, he added, "only makes suggestions" and never tries to interfere with the decision-making of the BJP. "I have been managing the Shakha for 50 years. If someone makes a suggestion to me, I will hear it out. But the party is governing the nation. They are masters at that. We (RSS) are not," he added.
He also made a veiled jibe at what was seen as the slowness in the BJP's decision-making. Refraining from naming anyone, Mr. Bhagwat said, "Had we been taking the decisions, would it have taken so long? They must take their own time." The remark was seen as a veiled allusion to the BJP's procrastination in naming a successor to party president JP Nadda, who finished his formal tenure nearly two years ago, well ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election.
In spite of party sources declaring that he would be replaced, Nadda still operates as the head of the party.
In response to another question, Mr Bhagwat also said there have been multiple instances where those who opposed the RSS have changed their stance. "We see a change in our opponents in how they see us... From Jayaprakash Narayan to Pranab Mukherjee, people have changed their views on us," he said.
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