Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has taken a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of his 75th birthday after Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwant suggested that “leaders should retire after 75”. Both Bhagwat and PM Modi are merely months away from turning 75 in September.
Yesterday at an event in Nagpur Bhagwat stated, “When you turn 75, it means you should stop now and make way for others.”
Gathered for the release of the book “Moropant Pingley: The Architect of Hindu Resurgence”, Bhagwat recalled the principles of RSS and Pingley’s remarks and said, “If you are honoured with a shawl after turning 75, it means that you should stop now, you are old; step aside and let others come in.”
VIDEO | Speaking at a book release function in Nagpur, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat said:
"When you turn 75, it means you should stop now and make way for others."#RSS #Nagpur
(Full video available on PTI Videos – https://t.co/n147TvrpG7) pic.twitter.com/yIfzL3Z56t
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 11, 2025
RSS’s rule of retirement
It is important to note that both Bhagwat and PM Modi are merely months away from turning 75 in September. Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh responded to the RSS chief’s comment via a post in Hindi on X. He said, “Poor award-seeking Prime Minister! What a homecoming this is – on returning, he was reminded by the Sarsanghchalak that he will turn 75 on 17 September 2025. But the Prime Minister can also tell the Sarsanghchalak that – he too will turn 75 on 11 September 2025! One arrow, two targets!”
बेचारे अवार्ड-जीवी प्रधानमंत्री! कैसी घर वापसी है ये- लौटते ही सरसंघचालक के द्वारा याद दिला दिया गया कि 17 सितंबर 2025 को वे 75 साल के हो जाएंगे।
लेकिन प्रधानमंत्री सरसंघचालक से भी कह सकते हैं कि -वे भी तो 11 सितंबर 2025 को 75 के हो जाएंगे!
एक तीर, दो निशाने!
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) July 11, 2025
Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut promptly responded, stating, “PM Modi forced leaders like LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, and Jaswant Singh to retire after they turned 75. Let’s see if he applies the same rule to himself now.”
“No ticket above 75”: Amit Shah
However, this is not the first time opposition leaders have reiterated PM Modi’s age and the retirement limit set by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) themselves. Ahead of the elections in May 2024, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sanjay Raut claimed that the BJP stalwart LK Advani was not allowed to contest elections due to the “retirement at 75 years of age” that had been “formulated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi”. This came as a support of his party chief, Arvind Kejriwal’s comments on PM Modi’s age.
Following large speculations on PM Modi’s retirement in 2025, Shah clarified in 2023 that there is no retirement clause in the BJP’s constitution putting a temporary stop to the rumours.