In a political challenge rooted in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)’s own doctrine, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has reminded Prime Minister Narendra Modi of the retirement benchmark he once championed. Citing RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s recent remarks urging leaders to step aside after the age of 75, AAP Delhi State President Saurabh Bharadwaj said even the RSS is now subtly signalling that it is time for Modi to vacate the Prime Minister’s chair. “The rule must apply to all — Modi, Nitish Kumar, and every MP, MLA, and CM across parties. The nation is watching to see if the Prime Minister will honour the very rule he set,” Saurabh Bharadwaj asserted.
Senior AAP leader and Delhi State President Saurabh Bharadwaj, responding to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s remarks urging leaders to retire at the age of 75, said that the RSS is the ideological parent of the BJP and its statements carry significant weight. “Across the world, it is accepted that a person’s efficiency and competence have limits defined by age. Government employees in India retire at 60. High Court and Supreme Court judges retire at 65. Even former Chief Justice of India, D.Y. Chandrachud, retired in good health and is now teaching at a university. But for core responsibilities, it is expected that one should step aside and make way for others. That is the natural order,” he said.
Saurabh Bharadwaj clarified that this principle should not apply only to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but equally to Nitish Kumar and to MPs, MLAs, and Chief Ministers across parties. “However, the post of the Prime Minister is the highest office in the country. Whatever precedents are set here inevitably ripple through the entire political landscape. The RSS can offer a signal, but it cannot issue a command. Whether or not to act on that signal rests solely with the BJP. I hope the BJP reflects on this. After all, it was Prime Minister Modi himself who laid down this rule — now is the time to uphold it and pass the baton to a capable new leader for the party and the nation,” he said.
