Union Home Minister Amit Shah suggested on Tuesday that Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who is 77 years old, should retire due to his "advanced age and health issues." This statement prompted Congress veteran P. Chidambaram to question whether Shah was indirectly referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is 73 years and seven months old.

Amit Shah made these remarks while addressing election rallies in Odisha ahead of the third phase of simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly polls on May 25. He emphasized that the ongoing elections are crucial for making Narendra Modi the prime minister for a third term and for restoring Odisha's glory, which he claimed had been "destroyed" by the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD government.

Shah promised that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would appoint a young, Odia-speaking 'bhumiputra' (son of the soil) as Chief Minister if the party is voted to power in the state. He stated, "Naveen babu is not keeping well, as a result of which 1.5 lakh government vacancies are not being filled up. If we form the government, we will make appointments to these posts."

Reacting to Shah's comments, former Union Minister P. Chidambaram posted on social media platform X, ?When Mr Amit Shah said that Mr Naveen Patnaik should retire because of ?advanced age? (77 years), was he throwing a hint to Mr Narendra Modi (73 years, 7 months) -- in case the BJP formed the government??