Will Prime Minister Narendra Modi Stand Down in September? No, not a chance, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said Monday. “There is no need to search for his successor. He is our leader and will continue,” he declared in Nagpur.

Mr. Fadnavis was firing back at Shiv Sena big gun Sanjay Raut’s allegations that the Prime Minister—who will be 75 on September 17—will resign this year as per the unspoken rule of the ruling party that party chiefs above that age cannot occupy ministerial seats.

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BJP Denies Any Age Limit Rule

The party has denied that there is any such rule, and there is at least one union cabinet minister who is beyond that ‘age limit’—80-year-old Bihar leader Jitan Ram Manjhi, the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises Minister. Others, including Mr. Modi, are just a year or two short.

Speculation Surrounding Modi’s Future

However, the excitement around Mr. Modi’s ‘future’ indicated by the AAP’s Arvind Kejriwal last year when he said Home Minister Amit Shah was being groomed to succeed him burst after the PM’s trip to Nagpur and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh headquarters.

The RSS is generally regarded as the ruling party’s ideological guru. Mr. Modi’s visit Sunday was his first since becoming Prime Minister 11 years ago.

Sanjay Raut’s Explosive Claims

The visit has been reported and amplified by opposition Shiv Sena (the group of ex-Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray) in Maharashtra, with Sanjay Raut announcing the RSS has called in the Prime Minister to debate the issue of who his successor should be.

“He (Mr. Modi) probably went to the RSS headquarters to write his retirement application in September,” Mr. Raut declared, claiming also that his successor would be from Maharashtra.

“Modi’s successor will be from Maharashtra… and the RSS will decide on that.”

“From what I understand, the ‘Sangh Parivar’ wants a change in the country’s leadership. PM Modi’s time is over. They want a change and want to choose the next BJP chief,” he declared.

Fadnavis Hits Back at Retirement Talk

The response was swift and assertive.

Mr. Fadnavis said, “In 2029, we will see Modi as Prime Minister again.” He also took a sharp swipe at talk of Mr. Modi whom he called “our father” being phased out.

“In our culture, when the father is alive, it is inappropriate to talk about succession. The time has not come to discuss it,” he said, throwing in a sneer about it being “Mughal culture.”

The “Mughal Culture” Jibe

The “Mughal culture” jibe was a snipe at a different row—over the burial site of 18th-century emperor Aurangzeb, whose unmarked grave in the state is in the midst of a major controversy.