“I never said I will retire or that someone else should retire when they turn 75… we do whatever the Sangh tells us,” Bhagwat told reporters, making it clear he would continue to serve even beyond 80.
BY PC Bureau
New Delhi, August 29 — Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat has firmly rejected speculation that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be asked to step down after his 75th birthday next month, under what opposition parties have called an “unwritten rule” within the BJP and its ideological parent body.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday evening, Mr Bhagwat, who himself turns 75 just days before the Prime Minister, declared: “I never said I will retire, or that someone else should retire when they turn 75. Such things are not decided by age.”
“We Are Swayamsevaks”
Mr Bhagwat emphasised that in the RSS, responsibility is defined by service, not by personal choice or age. “In the Sangh, we are swayamsevaks. We are given a job, whether we want it or not. We do whatever the Sangh tells us,” he said, underlining the organisation’s discipline.
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The RSS chief made it clear he has no plans to relinquish his position. “Even if I am 80 years old, I will continue to do what the Sangh assigns me,” he said.
BJP Rejects Age Rule Talk
The BJP leadership has consistently denied the existence of any rule requiring leaders over 75 to retire. Home Minister Amit Shah reiterated last year that the Prime Minister will not retire post-September 17, Mr Modi’s birthday.
The party has also pointed to ministers such as Jitan Ram Manjhi, who at 80 currently serves as the Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. “There is no provision regarding age, anywhere in the Constitution of the BJP,” Mr Shah said.
VIDEO | While talking about retirement age, RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat (@DrMohanBhagwat) said, “…We at the sangh are a hopeless minority. We are available all the time because we don’t have ‘Ghar Grihasti’ to look into. The ‘Grihast’ people put a burden on our heads… The matter… pic.twitter.com/lR0eF9fN0Y
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 28, 2025
Opposition Keeps Up the Attack
Despite denials, opposition parties have repeatedly invoked the “75-year limit” to attack the BJP. The rule was first speculated upon in 2019, when veterans LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi were eased out of electoral politics.
AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal claimed during campaigning last year: “Modi will retire next year. He is only seeking votes to make Amit Shah the next Prime Minister.”
More recently, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut speculated that Mr Modi’s visit to the RSS headquarters in Nagpur in March — his first in over a decade — was linked to his future. “He probably went to the RSS headquarters to write his retirement application in September,” Mr Raut alleged, adding that the successor would be “from Maharashtra, as the RSS will decide on that.”
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The BJP hit back swiftly. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis declared: “In 2029, we will still see Modi as Prime Minister.”
RSS Distances Itself from BJP’s Leadership Decisions
Bhagwat also used the occasion to clarify that the RSS does not interfere in the BJP’s internal decisions, including the delayed selection of a new party president.
“Take your time. We don’t have to say anything. They have to decide,” he remarked. In a pointed comment, he added: “If it were up to us, it would not have taken this much time to decide.”
Party insiders have said consultations with senior BJP and RSS leaders are ongoing, with a new chief likely to be appointed before the Bihar Assembly elections.
