Modi at 75: Milestone Sparks Debate on Age, Leadership, and Legacy

Prime Minister Narendra Modi celebrated his 75th birthday today, a milestone that has reignited debate within political circles and beyond. For decades, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has informally treated 75 as the cut-off age for frontline politics, a precedent that once shaped Modi’s own rise.

Across India, schools, newspapers, and government institutions marked the occasion with celebratory messages, blood drives, and exhibitions. In Delhi, Union home minister Amit Shah inaugurated hospitals and health centres, while the state assembly launched an exhibition titled “Know Your Prime Minister”. In Gujarat, Modi’s home state, officials set an ambitious target of collecting 75,000 units of blood across 330 donation camps.

Yet alongside the festivities, questions swirled: how old is too old to rule? The debate was sparked in July when Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat recalled the late Hindutva ideologue Moropant Pingle’s view that 75 marked the time to step aside. Though Bhagwat later clarified his comments were not directed at Modi, many saw them as a veiled message.

Opposition parties quickly seized on the remark. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and leaders such as Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Sanjay Raut pointed out that Modi himself had sidelined veterans like LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi at the same age. They asked whether the prime minister would hold himself to the same standard.

The BJP, however, has dismissed the idea of a fixed retirement age. Shah insisted last year that Modi would remain at the helm until 2029. Party insiders also see little sign of unease, with one expert noting that the “Thank You Modi” advertisements splashed across national dailies reflect reassertion rather than retreat.

Critics argue that Modi’s image as a “development man” has dimmed, with his political appeal now resting squarely on Hindutva. His 2024 election speeches, some accused of anti-Muslim rhetoric, underscored that shift. Still, his five-decade association with Bhagwat and the RSS suggests that speculation about rifts may be overstated.

For Modi, birthdays often double as political theatre. In 2022, he released eight cheetahs into Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park as part of a high-profile conservation project. This year, he is expected to visit Bihar ahead of a crucial state election.

At 75, Modi stands at a crossroads—celebrated as a symbol of continuity and strength by supporters, but questioned by critics about succession, governance, and the unwritten rules that once defined his own ascent