Not Every Shawl Is a Send-Off

 

It began as a humorous recollection, not a political statement. On Thursday, in Nagpur, RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat recalled a satirical quip once made by the late RSS stalwart and Ayodhya movement architect Murupant Pingale. “When someone wraps a shawl around you at 75,” Pingale had joked, “it’s their way of saying—‘You’re done, make room for others.’” It was a nod to the Marathi gift for satire, delivered with wit, not intent.

But for a certain section of political observers, Modi opponents, and excitable newsrooms, it was the sound of bugles. The takeaway? The time had come to prepare Narendra Modi’s farewell garland.

This reaction reveals more about the Modi opposition than about Bhagwat or Modi himself. It reveals desperation. A wish dressed up as interpretation. A hope clinging to formality rather than reality.

Ever since Modi took the reins in 2014, the BJP has informally nudged out senior leaders past the age of 75. It was a generational shift, not a constitutional clause. Through this lens, veterans like L.K. Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi made dignified exits from the forefront of power. The system changed, yes—but the rule wasn’t etched in stone. And it certainly doesn’t apply to Narendra Modi.

So as Modi’s 75th birthday approaches in September 2025, the usual chatter grows louder. “Will he step down? Will the RSS enforce the rule?” But these questions are grounded less in constitutional thinking and more in wishful scheming. There’s an inconvenient truth hiding in plain sight: Modi’s political opponents have accepted they can’t defeat him at the ballot box. They’re now placing bets on technicalities.

But let’s be clear: BJP and RSS are not in the business of giving their political adversaries a free win. Nor is Narendra Modi a leader constrained by the same metrics used to measure ordinary politicians. The 75-year-old cutoff may have served a symbolic purpose in the past, but applying it blindly to Modi would be politically and strategically senseless.

Why? Because Modi isn’t merely a party leader, he is a national phenomenon. His political capital has only grown in 11 years. He commands the kind of respect globally that no other Indian leader has since Nehru, and arguably, surpasses even that. Twenty-five countries have bestowed their highest civilian honors on him. In forums like G20, BRICS, and the UN, India isn’t just present—it is assertive, and often leading. That’s not by accident.

Domestically, India has changed visibly under his leadership. From digital payment revolutions like UPI to a globally respected fintech infrastructure, from military assertiveness to welfare schemes now benchmarked globally, India has found its footing. It may not be perfect, but it is undeniable.

Which is why this new “shawl theory” is laughable. Wrapping a shawl over Narendra Modi in 2025 will not be a prelude to retirement. It will be, if anything, a gesture of continuity—an acknowledgment of endurance, not expiration.

Critics say he has flaws—and they’re right. No leader is without them. But today, he has no real political alternative. Not in the BJP, and certainly not in the splintered, leaderless opposition.

Let’s also not forget history. Atal Bihari Vajpayee governed well beyond 75. So did Advani, who remained Deputy Prime Minister. Why then should the age factor become a selective weapon now? This sudden reverence for the "age rule" reeks of opportunism, not principle.

Which brings us back to Mohan Bhagwat’s comment. It was a recollection, not a roadmap. Those interpreting it as a coded message for Modi’s exit are chasing shadows. Bhagwat himself, who also turns 75 this year, gave no such hint of stepping down. Neither of them is going anywhere. And more crucially—**no one can make them go**.

India’s story is unfolding at a pivotal moment globally—amid geopolitical realignments, economic transitions, and new cold wars. Modi’s leadership, whatever one thinks of it ideologically, is at the center of how India navigates this terrain. Removing him to satisfy an informal age policy would be not just foolish, but deeply destabilizing.

So to all those hoping for a September surprise—brace for disappointment. And prepare for 2029. Because come the 2034 general election, it will be Modi, not a successor, leading the BJP. And most likely, the country. 

The question of retirement will arise only after 2034. Until then, fly your kites. Draw your shawls. Spin your theories. But remember, speculation isn’t succession.