At a campaign rally on Saturday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is currently on interim bail until 1 June, asked the BJP about the future Prime Minister after Narendra Modi turns 75 next year.
“These individuals inquire with the INDIA alliance regarding their prime ministerial candidate. I inquire the BJP about their choice for PM. Modi ji will be celebrating his 75th birthday on 17 September next year. He had implemented a policy stating that individuals reaching 75 years of age would be required to retire. L.K. Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Sumitra Mahajan, and Yashwant Sinha all retired when they reached 75 years old.”
He suggested that Modi should step down on 17 September next year, further questioning who will be the next PM?
He also claimed that the Prime Minister is requesting votes for Amit Shah.
“Are you in favor of having Shah as your CM? The Delhi CM inquired whether Shah would fulfill Modiji’s guarantee.”
CM also addressed the BJP’s call for his resignation during his time in jail. He stated that the position of chief minister is not significant to him. I didn’t resign as chief minister due to a plot forcing me to step down on false charges.
On Friday, Kejriwal was granted temporary bail by the Supreme Court in relation to the excise policy case. His lawyer states that there are no limitations on his participation in the current Lok Sabha 2024 elections.
Following a 50-day stint in jail, Kejriwal, the prominent campaigner for AAP, initiated his poll campaign amidst the Lok Sabha Elections 2024. After the completion of three rounds of voting, there are still four more sets of voting scheduled for May 13, May 20, May 25, and June 1. In the fifth and sixth phases on May 25 and June 1, twenty parliamentary seats in Delhi and Punjab, where the AAP led by Kejriwal is in power, will participate in the polls.
How the BJP leaders respond?
The senior leadership of the BJP responded promptly to Kejriwal’s statement. During a press conference in Hyderabad, Telangana, Union Home Minister Amit Shah confidently declared that PM Narendra Modi will be the Prime Minister for a third term.
“I wish to inform Arvind Kejriwal and the INDIA alliance that there is no reason to celebrate Modiji reaching the age of 75. There is nothing in the BJP’s Constitution that prohibits Modiji from becoming prime minister. He said that he will once again be prime minister and finish the term.”
Shah made a sarcastic comment about Kejriwal, suggesting that the Delhi CM should see this bail as a sign of innocence. The temporary release is valid until June 1st, after which he must turn himself in to the authorities on June 2nd. He also commented that if Arvind Kejriwal sees this as a clean slate, his knowledge of the law is lacking.
At the same time, JP Nadda, the President of the BJP, used X to reply to Kejriwal’s comments. He rejected his comments by explaining that, similar to Shah, the party’s constitution did not include any mention of age requirements.
“Kejriwal and the entire INDIA coalition are now in a state of panic as they come to terms with their defeat in the elections. Their goal is to deceive and disorient the nation. Modi ji is receiving abundant blessings from individuals across all regions, spanning from the East to the West, and from the North to the South. The Prime Minister does not have any policies or programs in front of them. He wrote that they are currently searching for a solution by using Modi Ji’s age as an excuse.The people are aware that Modiji’s every bit of time is devoted to serving Mother India. Under the guidance of Modiji, the dream of a ‘Developed India’ is coming true, and during his upcoming 5-year term, he will elevate the country to greater levels. The opposition should not take pleasure; it should not have any false hopes. The X post stated that Modiji is our current leader and will continue to lead us in the future.”
This was Kejriwal’s first public rally since being released, where he claimed that the PM is not seeking votes for himself, but for Amit Shah. He mentioned to keep in mind that you are casting your vote for Amit Shah, not Modi, when you go out to vote.
Delhi is scheduled to conduct elections for its seven Lok Sabha seats on 25 May.
