Advani retirement plan `mere speculation`: Sushma

New Delhi, Oct 31 (PTI) Deputy Leader of Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) in Lok Sabha (Lower House of Indian Parliament),
Sushma Swaraj, Saturday dismissed as "mere speculation and
guesswork" reports that L K Advani will resign as Leader of
Opposition in the near future and she will replace him.
"These are mere speculations and guesswork, so there is
no need to answer this question," Swaraj said in reply to a
query on whether Advani was retiring soon and was she going to
step in his shoes.
She was speaking at the Leadership Summit organised by
Hindustan Times.
When told that this was a "safe answer", she said one
should not expect an "unsafe answer" from her.
In reply to another question on whether there should be a
retirement age for politicians, she said a public debate could
be held on the issue.
Advani, who will turn 82 on November 8, has reportedly
been told by the Rashtriya Seva Sangh (RSS) leadership to find
his successor but it has not set a deadline for him to step
down.
Former BJP President M Venkaiah Naidu had said in an
interview recently that his party will not fight the 2014 Lok
Sabha elections under Advani's leadership. He agreed that in
such a scenario the party would have to choose a new leader
well in time so that the new team can prepare for the polls.
Advani himself has been silent on his retirement plans
and only indicated that he was chosen Leader of Opposition for
a full five years. PTI