New Delhi [India], August 30 (ANI): Senior BJP leader and former Union Minister Uma Bharti on Saturday said that while any political party may set a retirement age, no one can determine the age at which an individual's ability to contribute comes to an end.

She was asked about her earlier remark that there is no age of retirement in politics.

During an exclusive interview with ANI, Bharti said, 'Any organisation, political party, institution can decide the age of retirement, but not of contribution. There is no age for contribution... Politics is a platform, and contribution is my capacity.'

When asked whether this meant she intended to remain in politics indefinitely, Bharti clarified, 'Politics is a platform and contribution is my capacity, God has given this to me and it will remain with me till my last time.'

On being asked if she will contest the next elections, the former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister said, 'Yes...I will contest the elections when I feel that I am ready...I have people's power...'

'At the age of 65, PM Modi fought his Lok Sabha election. I will be turning 65 next year. If I try now, I will have some obstructions...,' she reasoned.

Explaining further, she noted her commitment to people and responsibilities, 'I have a weakness that I am very sincerely dedicated to my commitments. If I were to fight an election for a parliamentary seat, I would have to dedicate all my time and sincerity to the people there. And if anyone faces difficulty, I will feel guilty about that. I am an objective-oriented person, and my decision to fight an election will depend on whether my objective will be hampered or not.'

Significant highs and lows have marked Uma Bharti's political journey. After leading the BJP to victory in Madhya Pradesh in 2003, ending Digvijaya Singh's 10-year rule, she was later forced to contest an Assembly election in Uttar Pradesh's Bundelkhand region in 2012. Despite being a prominent Hindutva leader, she was seen as a potential disruptor to the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government in Madhya Pradesh.

However, Bharti's resilience paid off when she won the parliamentary election from Jhansi in 2014 and became a Cabinet minister in Narendra Modi's government. Her tenure as minister was cut short in 2017, leading her to announce that she wouldn't contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Recently, RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat sought to dispel speculation about him suggesting a retirement age of 75.

After the conclusion of the three-day lecture series in the national capital on Thursday as part of the centenary celebrations of the RSS, Bhagwat said that he never advocated for retirement at the age of 75, nor did he ever say someone should retire, putting to rest the claim that he had earlier referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Incidentally, both the RSS Chief and PM Modi will turn 75 next month.

After the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP has had a practice of encouraging leaders to step down after the age of 75. The party has not fielded two veteran leaders and former party Presidents LK Advani and MM Joshi, who were in 90's, in the 2019 parliamentary polls; Bhagat Singh Koshyari, 76, and BC Khanduri, 85, were also not given tickets in the polls.

Furthermore, when asked whether the objective of Operation Sindoor had been achieved, Uma Bharti asserted that reclaiming Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) remains a national objective, and once it is accomplished, it will then be considered that the objective of 'Operation Sindoor' has been fully achieved.

'Our objective is to take PoK back, and it's in everybody's mind. When we take PoK, then our objective will be achieved.'

Bharti also referred to the unanimous resolution passed by the Indian Parliament in 1994, which declared that Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is an integral part of India. 'For PoK, there is a resolution of Parliament that it should be an integral part of India,' she reiterated.

She also warned that Pakistan's sponsorship of terrorism will eventually lead to its own downfall.

Notably, India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 as a decisive military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in which Pakistan-sponsored terrorists killed 26 people in the name of religion in Kashmir. The Indian Armed Forces targeted terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, leading to the death of over 100 terrorists. (ANI)