RSS chief Bhagwat speaks of 75 and ‘stepping aside’

At the function, Bhagwat said: “Functionaries from all over India were present. Just before the meeting ended, Sheshadriji said, ‘Today, our Moropantji has completed 75 years. We are felicitating him with a shawl.’ The shawl was presented. Then he was asked to speak. As soon as he stood up, people smiled. He (Pingale) used to say, ‘My problem is that whenever I stand up to speak, people start laughing. Even if I haven’t said anything funny, they laugh. Because I feel people don’t take me seriously.’ He then said, ‘When I die, people will first throw a stone to check if I am really dead’.”

As per Bhagwat, Pingale then said: “You gave me a shawl at 75, but I know what that means. When someone is felicitated at 75, it means: now your time is up, now step aside and let us do the work.” The RSS chief added: “Everything was done out of respect for him. But he himself made sure that he did not become attached to that honour.”

The BJP has previously used 75 years as an informal retirement benchmark, with senior leaders like L K Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi moved to a ‘Margdarshak Mandal’ in 2014 after Modi came to power, informally because they had crossed that threshold.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said in a statement: “First Bhagwat ji and now Modi ji… both are nearing 75. In the RSS, 75 is the retirement age. Then why not in politics? The country will benefit from such decisions.”

The BJP, however, dismissed such interpretations. Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule told reporters: “There is no rule in the BJP about retirement at 75. Sanjay Raut is no one to decide how long the Prime Minister should serve — the people of the country will decide that.”

RSS sources played down the significance of Bhagwat’s anecdote. Speaking to The Indian Express, a senior functionary said: “This is being over-interpreted. Bhagwat ji was simply telling a humorous story about how self-effacing Moropant ji was, not laying down a principle. There are no plans for the Sarsanghchalak’s retirement, nor should this be seen as any kind of message to the Prime Minister.”

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has previously made it clear that Modi will continue as Prime Minister even after 75, and that there is no such age bar within the BJP’s working rules.