‘Modi silent on his retirement... BJP spoke in support, was mum on Yogi’

CHIEF MINISTER Arvind Kejriwal questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence on retiring at the age of 75 and said he was sure he would follow the rule that he himself made in 2014.

Responding to a question during a press conference Sunday, Kejriwal referred to the statement he made on Saturday — where he said Modi was not asking people to vote for him but for Home Minister Amit Shah because after he turns 75 in September 2025, he will retire as per the rules made by him.

Shah Saturday had said Modi would complete his term and lead the country. “There is no confusion within the BJP; they want to create confusion,” he had said.

Responding to Shah’s statement, Kejriwal said, “Whenever a big leader is talked about, party members speak in his support. I understand the Prime Minister will not, under any circumstances, stop the same rule from applying to him because of which (Lal Krishna) Advani ji retired. But if what BJP leaders say is true, then Modi ji should say the rule because of which Advani ji retired does not apply to him. I, however, don’t think Modi ji will do this. It is clear he will retire; just tell us who will be his successor?”

Kejriwal is out on interim bail till June 1 to campaign for the ongoing Lok Sabha polls. While he cannot enter the Chief Minister’s Office or the Delhi Secretariat, there is no bar on him campaigning in any part of the country.

According to the Aam Aadmi Party, he will campaign in Lucknow on May 15 and in Jamshedpur and Punjab on May 16. He will then head to Maharashtra on May 17.

During sunday’ s press con fe rence,Kejriw al also said by not coming out in support of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adtiyanath, the BJP had made it clear he would be replaced within two months in case the party came back to power. “Yesterday, all leaders of his party said the 75year retirement rule would not apply to Modi ji, but not a single leader said Yogi ji will not be removed. So, one thing has been confirmed in the last 24 hours that within the next two months, Yogi ji is being removed from the post of CM of Uttar Pradesh,” he said.

During the interim bail given by the Supreme Court, Kejriwal will address rallies in all 18 seats where AAP has fielded contestants. These include 13 seats in Punjab, four in Delhi and one in Haryana.