“Won’t Retire, Won’t Let Others”: SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav slams Mohan Bhagwat’s U-Turn on retirement age

Akhilesh Yadav slams RSS chief’s retirement age U-turn, accusing BJP of “doublespeak.” His tweet “Won’t retire, won’t let others” targets PM Modi’s impending 75th birthday. The opposition claims ruling party alters rules to retain power, fueling a fresh political debate on transparency and consistency.

New Delhi: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat made an important statement on the retirement age. He said that he never advocated retirement for himself or any political figure at the age of 75.

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The statement came at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is going to turn 75 next month and there is already a political debate on the subject. Bhagwat cited the example of former RSS leader Moropant Pingle to make his point clear and said that there is no fixed age limit to work for the Sangh.

Akhilesh Yadav's reaction

Samajwadi Party national president Akhilesh Yadav reacted to the statement through social media platform X. Without naming anyone directly, he said in a tweet, "Na retire hoonga, na hone doonga. Jab apni bari aayi, so niyum badal diye... Yeh duprapana achcha nahi."

न रिटायर होऊंगा, न होने दूँगा।

जब अपनी बारी आई तो नियम बदल दिये… ये दोहरापन अच्छा नहीं।

अपनी बात से पलटनेवालों पर पराया तो क्या, कोई अपना भी विश्वास नहीं करता है।

जो विश्वास खो देते हैं, वो राज खो देते हैं।

— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) August 29, 2025

Yadav further said that no one trusts those who go back on their words, and such people eventually lose their political influence. The tweet clearly appears to be targeting the BJP and the RSS.

Political implications

The incident has given rise to a new debate in the current political environment. While on one hand, the RSS chief has denied his earlier statements on retirement age, on the other hand, opposition leaders are calling it political doublespeak.

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Akhilesh Yadav's comment is part of the wider criticism that has been continuously made by the opposition that the ruling party changes its rules so that senior leaders can continue to hold their posts.

The matter raises questions on the principles of transparency and stability in politics and is likely to be debated further on the subject in the coming days.