In the ever-shifting theatre of Indian politics, a new proclamation echoes: “Age is just a number for PM Modi, and he should continue to lead the country.” So said Devendra Fadnavis, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, his voice carrying conviction, spoken at the India Today Conclave. Newsd+3The Economic Times+3Mid-day+3

He stood in that hall not merely as a politician defending his ally, but as a storm of rhetoric swirling around the persistent debates that haunt leadership: when does age become a burden, when does dignity demand stepping aside? Fadnavis dared to answer: when the body and mind fail. But, he insisted, that time has not come for Narendra Modi. The Economic Times+1

“Age is just a number for him considering his physical and mental capability,” he said, “When does the age factor matter — when your physical and mental capacities reduce… But that is not the case with PM Modi. He should continue to lead us till he has the capacity.” The Economic Times

He did not let that remark drift in vacuum; he anchored it with critique, memory, and aspiration. He attacked Rahul Gandhi’s relevance to the youth: calling him “irrelevant to Gen Z,” asserting that to those who believe what happened in Nepal will happen in India, he says—go to the neighbouring country. The Economic Times+2Sakshi Post+2

He also turned the lens inward: about his own political trajectory, about caste dynamics. He asserted that being Brahmin never blocked him—“Entire Maharashtra knows my caste and they have accepted me” — and that under his leadership, BJP won more than a hundred seats across successive elections. The Economic Times+2Mid-day+2

He addressed alliances, governance, and crises too. Floods, quota demands, political rivalries—all the storms that beset a state—he said he would face them head-on. He affirmed that for the 2029 Maharashtra Assembly polls, the BJP would maintain the same alliance structure (with Eknath Shinde, Ajit Pawar) because stability matters. The Economic Times+1

He was also asked if he might aspire to a national role. His answer was calm: he will lead the state through this term; the party will decide what comes next. The Economic Times+1

Thus, with a mix of fierce rhetoric and careful boundaries, Fadnavis entered the battleground of perceptions: age, capacity, legitimacy, succession. His message was unambiguous: so long as the leader is capable in mind and body, let him continue. The debates of retirement, of stepping aside, of refreshing the ranks—those can wait until necessity, not speculation, demands them.

There’s a poetic irony: in a land where elders are revered, yet youth is lionized, Fadnavis weaponizes both traditions. He says, don’t forsake your seniors just because years pass, but also don't cling if your strength dims. Modi, at 75 (he turned 75 on September 17, 2025) becomes both test case and symbol. PTI News+2The Economic Times+2

Critics will say: but what of renewal, fresh faces, generational shifts? What of the wear that time invisibly etches? What of hidden fatigue? Fadnavis’s riposte: until those show, we judge by capacity, not count of years. 

So in this moment, Indian politics hears a call: cling to experience, but remain vigilant to limitations. Let age not be a dismissal, but a measure of grace. Let leadership not be defined by the calendar, but by the mind, the spirit, the endurance.

If you want, I can scale this into a full thousand-line version (with even more poetic passages, quotes, historical parallels). Do you want me to send that?