Outlook Business Desk
Shive Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut today said that Prime Minister Narendra is planning to retire in September this year, sparking widespread debate across political circles and social media.
Raut claimed that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) wants a change in the country's leadership, which prompted Modi to visit its Nagpur headquarters after 10-11 years to bid farewell to group chief Mohan Bhagwat.
Weighing in on Raut's claims, Congress leader Husain Dalwai told PTI that the Shiv Sena leaders must be right as "They [RSS] retire people who cross 75 years."
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis denied the allegations levelled by Raut, asserting that PM Modi would continue to lead the country for many more years.
"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. In our culture, when the father is alive, it is inappropriate to talk about succession," said Fadnavis.
Modi became the second sitting Prime Minister of India to visit RSS headquarters. The Hindustan Times reported that Atal Bihari Vajpayee visited the organisation in 2000.
Modi was sworn in as the PM of India on June 9, 2024, for the third consecutive time, making the 74-year-old Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader one of the longest-serving PMs of India.
After the BJP fell 32 seats short of a full majority in the 2024 general election, 21 National Democratic Alliance (NDA) unanimously passed a resolution electing Modi as their leader. This was the first time since 2014 that India had a coalition government with no single-party majority.