New Delhi : BJP president Amit Shah was on Saturday embroiled in a row after he said Jana Sangh leader Nanaji Deshmukh had set an example in politics by retiring at the age of 60.
Shah’s remark was seen as an attack on the party’s old guard, including L.K. Advani, who along with senior leader Murli Manohar Joshi, former finance minister Yashwant Sinha and former Himachal Pradesh chief minister Shanta Kumar had issued a statement demanding a thorough review into the BJP’s Bihar assembly poll debacle.
“He (Deshmukh) set an example in world politics that one should retire at the age of 60 and dedicate himself to social work,” Shah said, addressing a gathering at the inauguration of the Sadguru Sewa Sangh Trust Hospital in Chitrakoot in Uttar Pradesh.
After Shah’s remark went viral on social media, and was termed an answer to the party’s old guard, the BJP issued a statement saying the party president’s remark was “distorted” by a section of the media.
The party said Shah was not talking about any individual other than Nanaji Deshmukh, and that his remark was taken out of context.