Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday dismissed Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut’s claim that Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the RSS in Nagpur yesterday to discuss his retirement plan once he turns 75 in September and that the PM’s successor will be from Maharashtra.

”No, not a chance…there is no need to search for his successor. He is our leader and will continue,” he declared in Nagpur.

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“In our culture, when the father is alive, it is inappropriate to talk about succession. It is a Mughal tradition that children think about succession even when the father is alive. The time has not come to discuss it,” the chief minister said, referring to Mr Raut’s claim that Modi’s successor would come from Maharashtra.

Mr Fadnavis said, “In 2029, we will see Modi as the Prime Minister of India once again. There is no need to search for his successor. Discussing succession when the leader is still active is inappropriate in Indian culture”.

At a press conference, Mr Raut claimed that PM Modi had discussed his retirement plan with the RSS leadership and that his successor would be from Maharashtra.

“RSS will decide the successor of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and he will be from Maharashtra. That’s why Modi was called to Nagpur to discuss it at a closed-door meeting,” said Mr Raut, a Rajya Sabha member and a close confidant of former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. He, however, did not reveal the source of his information.

To Mr Raut’s claim that the next PM will be from Maharashtra, Mr Fadnavis, who is one of the tallest BJP leaders in the state, said he has nothing to do with the matter.

Though Mr Fadnavis refuted Mr Raut’s claim about the PM’s retirement, it has sparked speculation about whether Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, who is from Nagpur and is also seen as being close to the RSS, would replace Mr Modi.

A senior BJP legislator from Maharashtra said Mr Rout is trying to create a new controversy by raising this issue. “There is no discussion on PM Modi’s successor. Raut is trying to create controversy over the issue. Instead, he should bother about Uddhav Thackeray’s successor,” he said.

This is not the first time that an Opposition leader has claimed that Mr Modi will retire once he attains the age of 75 in September. AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal stated this twice during the last year amid suggestions that there is an unspoken rule in the party that anyone who turns 75 cannot hold a ministerial position.

However, senior BJP leaders, including Home Minister Amit Shah, have already made it clear that the BJP will fight the 2029 Lok Sabha elections also under Mr Modi’s leadership.

One senior leader pointed out that Union Minister and top Bihar leader Jitan Ram Manjhi is 80 years old but holds a Cabinet position in the Modi government.