Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal during a meeting with MLAs of Delhi, on Sunday, May 12, 2024.
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: After igniting a political fire with his remarks on the Prime Minister’s retirement, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said it was usual for BJP leaders to refute him but Narendra Modi has not made any statement to clarify whether he will follow the rule he himself made or it was "only meant for LK Advani".
He also said that the BJP leaders who vociferously argued that the 75-year-norm will not apply for Modi have confirmed what he remarked about Yogi Adityanath that he will be removed as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister in two months if BJP wins Lok Sabha elections.
Kejriwal was responding to a question on BJP leaders’ statements rebutting his claims on Saturday that Modi will retire in September next year when he turns 75 and handover the reins to Amit Shah. He had also claimed that Adityanath will be removed from his post in next two months if the BJP manages to form the government at the Centre.
On Saturday itself, Amit Shah said, “Modi-ji will continue to lead the BJP and the country, not only till 2029 but even beyond that…Kejriwal and the I.N.D.I.A. bloc people need not be happy.”
At a press conference to announce ‘Kejriwal ki Guarantees’, the AAP supremo said that Modi had created this rule of retirement and senior leaders like Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi among others got retired.
“When I said this, several leaders said that this rule does not apply to Modi. I understand that when such statements are made against the top leader of a party, it is usual for leaders to speak in his support. But the Prime Minister has not said anything on this. What the leaders have said that they will not allow him to retire is their wish,” he said.
“I don’t think the Prime Minister will not follow a rule set by himself. He (Modi) won’t say that he will not follow a rule that made LK Advani retire. (Otherwise) Let him say that the rule was made for LK Advani…My appeal to Modi-ji is that he should say who is his successor. Otherwise, there will be a big fight (for the top post),” he said.
Referring to Adityanath, Kejriwal said he has spoken about Modi’s ‘One Nation, One Leader’ scheme under which "Opposition leaders are jailed and BJP leaders are sidelined, including the UP Chief Minister".
“Yesterday, when leaders spoke about Modi-ji, not a single leader spoke about Yogi Adityanath, who I said will be removed within two months from his post. None said Yogi won’t be removed. In 24 hours, one thing has become clear that he will be removed in two months,” he said.