Raut ignites Modi retirement talk

New Delhi: Shiv Sena (UBT)'s firebrand leader Sanjay Raut on Monday made a big claim that Prime Minister Narendra Modi went to the RSS office in Nagpur on Sunday to “announce his retirement”.

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) will decide the successor of Modi, Raut said, adding that the successor will probably be from Maharashtra. “All the talks that go on in Sangh are behind the closed doors. They don’t come out. But the indications are clear. The Sangh will decide the future leader,” Raut said, while speaking with reporters on Monday morning.

The BJP was quick to refute these speculations. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the country and the party looked at Modi as the PM in 2029 as well, and that it was a Mughal tradition to speak of succession when the ‘father was alive’. “There is no question of choosing a successor. The time for it has not yet come. As far as I am concerned, my name is not there,” he said.

PM Modi visited Dr Hedgewar Smruti Mandir in Nagpur on Sunday and paid tributes at the memorials dedicated to RSS founder K B Hedgewar and second sarsanghchalak (chief) M S Golwalkar.

Modi was in Nagpur on his first visit to the RSS headquarters since the time he became the Prime Minister as the organisation celebrates its centenary this year. Modi is 74-years old at present and will turn 75 this September. The Opposition has questioned if Modi too will step down like other top BJP leaders after turning 75 years.