As Jyotiraditya Scindia jumped ship to the BJP, many criticised the Congress for not being able to retain its young leaders. The Old Guard is ruining it for the young turks, many said. Now, people are speculating if other young leaders such as Sachin Pilot will also quit the Congress.
But who is a young leader in India? And why isn’t home minister Amit Shah called a young leader as well? After all, he is only six years older than Scindia and Rahul Gandhi.
Perhaps, only those who are dynasty sons and daughters — like Scindia, Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, Sachin Pilot, Aaditya Thackeray, Akhilesh Yadav and Omar Abdullah — are called young leaders, even if they are in their late 40s and 50s. Or maybe they have to look young, have a fit body, speak English, be a connoisseur of food and drinks and be ‘woke’.
Also read: Home Minister Amit Shah — ‘tough taskmaster with eerie gaze and unnerving face’
Why Amit Shah makes the cut
No matter his weight and balding head, the fact is that at age 55, Amit Shah is one of the ‘youngest’ and most successful leaders in India. After all, in Indian political discourse, all leaders around 50 are considered young — from Arvind Kejriwal to Rahul Gandhi.
Among them, it is Amit Shah who has been most powerful.
The karyakartas of the BJP respect and listen to him. He has been called an ‘election machine’. Rumour has it that Amit Shah’s biography Amit Shah and the March of the BJP is seeing a steady rise in its sales. People think that any book on Amit Shah will be the bible of politics.
Like any young leader, he is egoistic, overtly confident (he declares victory even before voting), in denial about most things (look at this answer about Delhi riots in Parliament Wednesday) and brazen. He has the energy any young leader should have. The opposition must consider that with Amit Shah, they are dealing with a ‘young leader’.
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Brand Amit Shah
Amit Shah is in many ways the youth icon of India who is both traditional and modern — in short, the ‘adarsh balak’. With his almost saintly attire, choice of words and demeanour, he represents Vedic student, who keeps harping on India’s golden (read, Hindu) past. With his family, he represents the ‘modern’ family man. According to Rajdeep Sardesai’s book 2019: How Modi Won India, Amit Shah enjoys family time, misses his family and travelling with them. That’s a big revelation for Indians who expect politicians to have no life other than politics.
Culturally, he is not threatening to the conservative youth. Rather, he threatens the liberal ‘hip’ and woke generation. However, like him or not, you can’t ignore Amit Shah. He is everywhere — from social media jokes to Parliament. Clearly, he is leading a section of the youth as well.
The fact is that the brand Amit Shah has crept into Indian society, and whoever does a smart thing, considers himself or herself an Amit Shah.
Chanakya Amit Shah is a young leader, after all.
Amit Shah is the true son of the soil. He is the kind of leader India needs. Wish him and BJP a grand success in every election.
which amit shah are you talking about? which planet do you live in?
I am talking about Shri Amit Shah the Honorable Home Minister of India.
because: 1. he is not a leader – just a follower of RSS. 2. he neither looks nor behaves nor thinks young – old at heart and old in the head and old in the body. 3. his burden of crime is so huge that it was hard to believe in his youth even 10 years ago. 4. with a great hulking lump of a son, it is impossible to focus on the supposed youth of the father and 5. his other identities like that of Tadipaar, judge-killer etc dominate… one could go on!
Excellent example of ‘hate speech’ anamika.
What is that Jyoti is trying to convey through this article? There is nothing but just putting something together and trying to stir some debate! There is no doubt that Amit Shah has proved himself as an exceptional leader of BJP and now as a competent and efficient Home Minister. The way he delivered for his PM in last 6 months, is brilliant and commendable. His responses in both houses of Parliament for Delhi riots have been clinical and unexceptionable. He is now in a class of his own. It must be said that if Jyotiraditya joins the Cabinet, it will add to the strength of the Cabinet, as he is a competent person. Moid needs more skilled ministers in his cabinet than what he has today.
You tried to give back handed compliments, that was obvious.
Because he is a criminal murderer and a tadipaar and such people are not happy internally. A person who is full of hatred from within, it easily shows on him or her on the outside.
Amit Shah is not a murderer. Congress government feared early on his quality as an election winner, hence framed him for false charges.
Hitler and Goebbels were also said to be family men, right?
Believers of Quran and Bible are worst than Hitler and Goebbels. These believers have killed the maximum number of humans world over. They still continue to kill humans. They have played havoc with peaceful people of Indian subcontinent. India is no more peaceful due the believers of these two books are in significant number now.
what a dim-wit comment. have you even heard of the concept of history? And you think Hitler and Goebbels were Hindus? They thought of themselves as Aryans, yes, but Indians were treated in par with Gypsies – that is to say worse than the Jewish and a tad better than gays – that is how your heroes would have treated you. Medical experiments and then the chamber.
One shall not stretch this matter, It is simply because he lost his hair and gained weight at early age. 😉
If the name fits……..A Fatso remains Fatso
Amit Shah has gained weight because he does not have time to visit gyms. He is busy with nation-building.