RSS chief’s ‘retire at 75’ remark triggers storm

As a political controversy raged over Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat’s recent remarks suggesting leaders should retire at 75, the RSS on Friday clarified that the statement was simply a quote of a late Sangh stalwart and not linked to anyone.

The clarification came after a series of remarks by senior opposition leaders who interpreted Bhagwat’s utterances as a nudge for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to retire once he turned 75 on September 17 this year.

The Congress took a swipe at PM Modi over Bhagwat’s remarks, which suggested that active politicians should retire after 75.

In a post on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, “Poor award ‘jeevi’ Prime Minister! What a homecoming this is — on returning, he was reminded by the Sarsanghchalak that he will turn 75 on September 17. But the PM can also tell the Sarsanghchalak that he too will turn 75 on September 11! One arrow, two targets!”

Bhagwat, speaking at a book launch event recently, said, “When you turn 75, it means you should stop now and make way for others.”

However, the RSS today signalled that its chief’s remarks were unrelated to any individual. “On July 9, the RSS chief released a book, ‘Moropant Pingle: The Architect of Hindu Resurgence’, in Nagpur. On the occasion, the Sangh supremo recalled various instances associated with the life of Moropant Pingle,” it said.

Bhagwat had recalled late Sangh ideology Pingle’s statement about stepping aside after 75 years of age.

Quoting the remarks Pingle made at one RSS event in Vrindavan where he was honoured at turning 75, Bhagwat said: “You gave this shawl to me at the age of 75. This is a message that I have grown old, a message to step aside, let others do the job.” Pingle was the Sangh leader who first conceived the Ram Janmabhoomi movement as the sole mission to unite Hindus.

Though the Sangh sought to douse the flames the Opposition fanned all day long, the BJP, the RSS’ political wing, maintained a stoic silence on the issue.

Privately, however, senior leaders said there was no mention of any retirement age in the BJP constitution.

In fact, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, in an interview with The Tribune on the eve of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, said, “The BJP never drafted any rule to retire leaders at 75 and a person’s tenure depends on his ability and fitness to serve.” Rajnath had made the comments after AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal claimed at the height of the 2024 Lok Sabha election campaign that Modi would retire at 75 as per a rule framed by the RSS and the BJP and would pass on the baton to Home Minister Amit Shah.

“I was the BJP president in 2009 and again in 2013 when this question about the age of leaders was discussed in the party. There is no age bar rule in the BJP constitution and there never was. Yeh ek fitoor hain bas (this is just a gross irrationality and nothing else,” Rajnath had at that time junked all talk of Modi’s retirement at 75.

Again, as recently as March 30 this year, the BJP top brass had dismissed talks of the PM’s retirement.

This was done after Shiv Sena UBT leader Sanjay Raut claimed that Modi visited the RSS’ Nagpur headquarters on March 30 — the first time since becoming the PM in 2014 — to share his retirement plan with the Sangh top brass.

Suresh Bhaiyyaji Joshi, a senior RSS leader, had at the time dismissed any such talks of Modi’s retirement.

Maharashtra CM and senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis had even gone to the extent of saying that Modi will be the PM even in 2029.

The BJP argued that discussions on succession were part of the Mughal culture and tradition. “In Indian culture, no one discusses succession when the patriarch is alive,” Fadnavis had said after opposition leaders questioned the PM for not applying the “retirement at 75” rule to himself while having asked several party stalwarts to step aside.

Meanwhile, Congress media chief Pawan Khera said there was a wave of excitement since Bhagwat made his remarks. “This is good news as on September 11 this year, Bhagwat will turn 75 and PM Modi will turn 75 on September 17. For the last 11 years, the condition of the country, Constitution and constitutional institutions has been made such, now we will get relief from that on September 17. On September 11, the first step will be taken, as it was this duo that has played with the soul of the country,” Khera said in a video.

He added, “Be happy, because achche din for India, its Constitution are going to come.”

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut also added to the attack, saying PM Modi forced LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Jaswant Singh to retire after 75. “Let’s see if he applies the same rule to himself now,” Raut said.

BJP leaders who left active politics at 75

After the BJP won the 2014 LS poll, AB Vajpayee (90 then), LK Advani (87 then) and MM Joshi (80 then) were dropped from the party’s parliamentary board and appointed to the Marg Darshak Mandal.

In the 2019 LS poll, Advani (92), Joshi (85) and Sumitra Mahajan (76) opted out of the poll race.

In the 2016 Cabinet reshuffle, the PM dropped Najma Heptullah, who had turned 76 that April.

Notable exceptions to the “retirement at 75” rule were UP BJP leader Kalraj Mishra (75 at the time), oldest in Modi’s council, being retained ahead of the 2017 LS poll; and in 2021, the BJP fielding Metro Man E Sreedharan (88) in the Kerala Assembly poll.