Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav’s jibe at the BJP over the delay in electing its president drew a sharp reaction from Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
During a debate on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025 in the Lok Sabha, Yadav asked why has the BJP not decided who will be its next president.
"The BJP claims to be the largest party in India but it still has not decided on its leader?" he asked.
In a swift counter, Shah said the BJP is not a dynastic party and thus it would take time to decide on its leadership.
"In some parties, only five members of a family have to choose the president so it is easy and quick, but we have to elect (a president) following a process that involves crores of members, so it takes time," he said.
Yadav later raked up the issue of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s retirement, citing the buzz on social media.
Without elaborating, he wondered if a leader's recent trip was linked to extending the retiring age of 75 years in the BJP.
Social media was abuzz with speculation after Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut claimed that Modi’s recent trip to RSS headquarters in Nagpur was to convey the message that he is retiring.
Modi turns 75 in September.
Earlier, Aam Aadmi Party supremo Arvind Kejriwal, too, had flagged this rule and questioned whether Modi would retire this year.
