Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut has unleashed a political firestorm by asserting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi intends to retire in September 2024, tying the claim to Modi’s recent visit to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) headquarters in Nagpur on March 30, 2025. Speaking to reporters in Mumbai, Raut speculated that Modi’s trip—his first to the RSS central office in over a decade—was a symbolic farewell, hinting that the Prime Minister might have gone to “submit his retirement application.” Raut further alleged that the RSS, the ideological backbone of the BJP, is pushing for a leadership overhaul, suggesting that Modi’s tenure has run its course and that the organization is actively seeking his successor within the party. The remarks, reported by India Today, have thrust the question of Modi’s political future into the spotlight, especially given the timing of his high-profile engagement with the RSS, an organization he lauded as a “banyan tree” of India’s cultural heritage during the visit.
The BJP swiftly rebuffed Raut’s claims, with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis asserting that Modi remains the party’s unchallenged leader and will continue to helm the nation beyond the 2029 elections. Fadnavis dismissed the notion of a leadership transition as premature and culturally inappropriate, likening it to “Mughal culture” and emphasizing that succession talks are irrelevant while Modi is active and in command. The rebuttal came as Modi’s Nagpur visit—only the second by a sitting Prime Minister after Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s in 2000—drew attention for its symbolic weight. During the visit, Modi paid tribute to RSS founder Keshav Baliram Hedgewar and second chief Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar at the Dr Hedgewar Smruti Mandir, praising the organization’s century-long growth and its role in fostering ideological “kar sevaks” across the nation. The BJP’s firm stance aims to quash speculation, framing Raut’s comments as baseless opposition rhetoric designed to unsettle the ruling party’s narrative of stability.
The controversy underscores the complex interplay between the BJP and its ideological parent, the RSS, at a time when Modi’s leadership remains a cornerstone of the party’s identity. Raut’s provocative assertion that the Sangh Parivar seeks a new face to lead the country taps into long-standing debates about succession within the BJP, despite Modi’s towering presence and electoral success. His visit to Nagpur, where he described the RSS as a sprawling tree rooted in principles that have elevated it to great heights, was intended to reinforce unity and shared purpose. Yet, Raut’s interpretation has cast it as a potential turning point, fueling speculation about internal dynamics. As the BJP doubles down on Modi’s enduring leadership and the opposition seizes on any hint of vulnerability, the episode highlights the high stakes of political messaging in India’s charged landscape, with both sides leveraging the RSS’s influence to bolster their respective narratives ahead of future electoral battles.
