PM Modi not retiring, says Fadnavis, takes ‘Mughal mindset’ jab at Raut
Raut claims Modi visited RSS headquarters to announce retirement; Fadnavis says BJP would want to see Modi as PM even in 2029
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday (March 31) dismissed speculations about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s retirement and replacement, while asserting that Modi will continue to lead the country for many more years.
Fadnavis’ reaction came in response to Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut’s claim that Modi visited the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) office in Nagpur to inform RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat of his retirement.
Also read: PM Modi visited RSS office to announce September 'retirement plan', claims Raut
‘Discussing succession Mughal mindset’
“PM Modi went to the RSS office to announce his retirement. As per my knowledge, he has never visited the RSS headquarters in 10-11 years. RSS wants change in leadership. Prime Minister Modi is now leaving,” Raut told reporters earlier in the day.
Taking a dig at Raut over his comment, Fadnavis said discussing succession while the leader is active is inappropriate in Indian culture and essentially stems from a "Mughal mindset".
Modi will be PM in 2029: Fadnavis
“Modiji is our leader, and he will continue to work in the future. Everyone wants to see Modiji as prime minister even in 2029. We are not worthy of discussing such matters," Fadnavis said.
Speaking to reporters in Nagpur, senior RSS leader Suresh ‘Bhaiyyaji’ Joshi said he was not aware of any talk of (the prime minister’s) replacement.
Also read: Why September 2025 could be make or break for Narendra Modi
What Raut said
Talking to reporters on Monday, 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. Modi turns 75 in September this year.
Successor from Maharashtra?
Asked about Raut's claim that RSS will select Modi's successor from Maharashtra, Bhaiyyaji Joshi said, "I don't have any such information.” On Modi's visit to Dr Hedgewar Smruti Mandir in RSS headquarters, Joshi said, “Yesterday's programmes went well. We all are happy. His (Modi’s) interest in service was evident during the COVID period.
“I feel that his coming here yesterday and laying the foundation stone for Madhav Netralaya centre building has elevated the institute’s stature. Similarly, his visit as a swayamsevak (RSS volunteer) to Reshimbagh on the occasion of Sangh founder K B Hedgewar’s birth anniversary was very nice," Joshi said.
Also read: Close to 75, Modi in no hurry to quit, eager to secure place in history
Modi’s Nagpur visit
The RSS headquarters in Mahal area and Dr Hedgewar Smruti Mandir at Reshimbagh are among the hallowed institutions of the Sangh.
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.
Modi is the second sitting prime minister to visit the RSS headquarters in Nagpur. Atal Bihari Vajpayee had visited it in 2000 during his third term as prime minister, an RSS official told PTI.