RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat says leaders should retire at 75: Message to Modi or battle for dominance?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in Nagpur in March 2024. (PTI via PMO)

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat's remark that leaders should step aside after attaining the age of 75 years has left the Opposition amused as it wondered whether the suggestion was aimed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Bhagwat himself since both turn 75 in September this year.

"When you turn 75, it means you should stop now and make way for others," Bhagwat said speaking at a book release event dedicated to late RSS ideologue Moropant Pingle in Nagpur on Wednesday.

"Moropant Pingle once said that if you are honoured with a shawl after turning 75, it means that you should stop now, you are old; step aside and let others come in," Bhagwat said recalling Pingle's humourous nature, but added that despite his devotion to serving the nation, Pingle believed in withdrawing gracefully when it was time.

Bhagwat's remark, left open to interpretation, is being viewed by the Opposition as a veiled message to the Prime Minister. "PM Modi forced leaders like LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, and Jaswant Singh to retire after they turned 75. Let’s see if he applies the same rule to himself now," said Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut.

Notably, Raut had earlier claimed that Modi’s March visit to the RSS headquarters in Nagpur this year — his first in over a decade — was to discuss his potential retirement. The BJP had denied this claim and clarified that the visit was routine and not linked to any such announcement.

Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said that it was important for the Sangh and the BJP to practice what they preach. "Preaching without practice is always dangerous. It is unprincipled that the Margdarshak Mandal was given compulsory retirement applying the 75 years age limit but indications are clear that current dispensation will be exempted from this rule," Singhvi said.

In May 2023, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had clarified that here is no retirement clause in the BJP’s constitution. "Modi ji will continue to lead till 2029. There's no truth in retirement rumours. The INDIA bloc won't win the upcoming elections with lies," he had then said.

Interestingly, the RSS chief's remarks came on the same day when Amit Shah, who turned 60 in April this year, spoke of his own retirement plans at a separate event. "I would like to dedicate my time to the Vedas, Upanishads and organic farming," Shah said.

While the BJP has made it clear multiple times that Modi had no plans to retire at the moment, the RSS too does not have a practice of its Sarsanghchalak retiring at a fixed age.

The timing of Bhagwat's remarks, however, have triggered curiosity since both PM Modi and Bhagwat himself turn 75 this year. While Bhagwat was born on September 11, 1950, Modi will reach the age six days later on September 17.

While the Opposition is making hay of the RSS chief's open-ended remark, RSS watcher and former swayamsevak Dilip Deodhar dismissed the possibility of either leader stepping down. Speaking to Hindustan Times, Deodhar cited a meeting where Bhagwat had clarified five years ago that Modi would be an exception to the 75-year rule that was imposed to create the Margdarshak Mandal.

RSS watchers also point out that there is no tradition in the Sangh for the Sarsanghchalak to step down unless physically unfit. While Rajju Bhaiyya and KS Sudarshan announced their retirement at 78 due to ill-health, Balasaheb Deoras remained chief of the RSS till the age of 79.

The remarks could also be seen in the context of a continuing power struggle between the BJP and RSS that began ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections with both organisations trying to establish their supremacy over the other.

Meanwhile, the RSS and the BJP have issued clarifications as the Opposition stirred a controversy over Bhagwat's remarks. Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule told reporters that there was no rule in the BJP about retirement at 75.

"Sanjay Raut is no one to decide how long the Prime Minister should serve — the people of the country will decide that," he said.

RSS sources too played down the significance of the anecdote shared by Mohan Bhagwat. Speaking to The Indian Express, a senior functionary said that Bhagwat's remarks were being over-interpreted and that he was "simply telling a humorous story about how self-effacing Moropant ji was, not laying down a principle".

"There are no plans for the Sarsanghchalak’s retirement, nor should this be seen as any kind of message to the Prime Minister," he added.