PM Modi retirement: Devendra Fadnavis ridicules Sanjay Raut’s claim

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday asserted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would continue to lead the country for many more years to come.

The Chief Minister’s remark came as he responded to Shiv Sena UBT leader Sanjay Raut’s claim that PM Modi went to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) headquarters in Nagpur on Sunday to convey the message to Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat that he is retiring.

Speaking to reporters in Nagpur, Fadnavis said, “In 2029, we will see Modi as the Prime Minister again. There is no need to search for his successor. He (Modi) is our leader and will continue," Fadnavis said. 

Discussing succession while the leader is active is inappropriate in Indian culture, the Chief Minister added. “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," he said, referring to Raut’s claim that Modi’s successor would come from Maharashtra.

Talking to reporters on Monday morning, Raut claimed that the RSS wants a change in the political leadership in the country. “He (Modi) probably went to RSS headquarters to write his retirement application in September," Raut claimed, alluding to some leaders in the ruling dispensation retiring at 75.

PM Modi turns 75 in September this year. In his first visit to the RSS headquarters in Nagpur after becoming the Prime Minister 11 years ago, Modi on Sunday described the Sangh as the banyan tree’ of India’s immortal culture.