During 'Pariksha Pe Charcha', PM Modi reflected on his 75th birthday, indicating he has more years ahead; the age landmark has been the subject of much talk

Prime Minister Narendra Modi happened to address his age in his interaction with students as part of his 'Pariksha Pe Charcha' (discussion on exams) programme, mentioning a call that reminded him of reaching 75 last September.The PM's party BJP has in the past followed a convention of retirement at 75, though there have been exceptions. In that context, there was much talk around his age when he hit 75 on September 1

“A leader called me on my birthday. He said, ‘You have completed 75 years,’ so I told him, ‘25 are still remaining’,” the PM said in a video posted on X by Union commerce minister Piyush Goyal

“I don’t count the years that have passed; I count the years that are still left,” the PM added, speaking in Hindi.

Narendra Modi will be 79 by the time his current term ends; and many senior BJP leaders have said that he will seek another term as the BJP-led NDA's PM face in 2029 too.PM Modi's landmark birthday on September 17, 2025, sparked significant political debate, particularly following remarks by Mohan Bhagwat, head of the BJP's ideological parent body RSS. Speaking at a book launch event in Nagpur in July 2025 dedicated to late RSS ideologue Moropant Pingle, Bhagwat made pointed remarks about retirement.

The RSS chief recounted how Pingle once joked that being felicitated with a shawl after turning 75 was society's polite way of signaling it was time to retire.

The timing of Bhagwat's comment led to speculation whether he was trying to hint at something as both he and Modi turned 75 in September 2025—Bhagwat on the 11th and Modi on the 17th.

Opposition parties were quick to seize on the RSS chief's remarks as a veiled message to the Prime Minister. "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," Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said.

Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi echoed this sentiment, stating that preaching without practice is dangerous, and that it appeared the current leadership would be exempted from the retirement rule that was applied to the Margdarshak Mandal (a body of BJP veterans formed after PM Modi took charge).

The BJP and its leadership have consistently rejected any suggestion of Modi stepping down.

Union home minister Amit Shah had clarified in May 2023 that there is no retirement clause in the BJP's constitution as such, asserting that Modi would continue to lead until 2029.

Union minister Rajnath Singh was even more emphatic, stating that the 75-year retirement rule was never officially decided and that, had it been, it would have been mentioned in the party constitution.

The RSS later sought to clarify Bhagwat's comments too.

Last August, at a press conference in New Delhi, Bhagwat explained that his remarks in Nagpur were only a reference to a witticism by senior Sangh leader Moropant Pingle, stating, “I never said I will or someone else should retire.”

PM Modi has set 2047 as a target year of a ‘Viksit Bharat’ or developed India.