Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday dismissed speculation about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s successor, asserting that Modi would continue leading the country for years to come. Responding to Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut’s claim that Modi visited the RSS headquarters in Nagpur on Sunday to signal his retirement, Fadnavis told reporters, “In 2029, we will see Modi as the prime minister again.” Fadnavis said there was no need to discuss succession, emphasising that Modi remains the leader. “In our culture, talking about succession while the leader is active is inappropriate. That is Mughal culture. The time has not come to discuss it,” he added, rejecting Raut’s suggestion that Modi’s successor would come from Maharashtra.
Raut, speaking to reporters on Monday, claimed that the RSS was seeking a change in the country’s political leadership. “He (Modi) probably went to the RSS headquarters to write his retirement application in September,” Raut said, referring to speculation that leaders in the ruling establishment retire at 75. Modi turns 75 this September.
Senior RSS leader Suresh ‘Bhaiyyaji’ Joshi also downplayed the speculation, stating, “I am not aware of any talk about a replacement.” Asked about Raut’s assertion that the RSS would pick Modi’s successor from Maharashtra, Bhaiyyaji Joshi said, “I don’t have any such information.”
On Modi’s visit to the Dr. Hedgewar Smruti Mandir at the RSS headquarters, Joshi said the events went well and highlighted Modi’s commitment to service. “His interest in service was evident during the COVID-19 period. His visit as a swayamsevak to Reshimbagh on the occasion of Sangh founder K.B. Hedgewar’s birth anniversary was very nice,” he said.
The RSS headquarters in Mahal and the Dr. Hedgewar Smruti Mandir in Reshimbagh are among the Sangh’s most significant institutions. Sunday marked Modi’s first visit to the RSS headquarters in Nagpur since becoming prime minister 11 years ago. He described the Sangh as the "banyan tree of India's immortal culture." Modi is only the second sitting PM to visit the headquarters, following Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who did so in 2000 during his third term.
(With PTI inputs)