Ahmedabad: A home minister in the state government who played gully cricket in the late hours of the night, loved flying kites in his youth, and would feed pani puri to the entire colony. Away from the cameras and limelight that follow Union Home Minister Amit Shah now, is Ahmedabad’s Naranpura, the locality where he spent many years of his life.
Though he may not exactly be Mr Congenial in the eyes of the Opposition and one might not see him laughing aloud in public often in his latest avatar as Union home minister and chief strategist of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Amit Shah his friends, former neighbours and colleagues remember was a far cry from all work and no play.
“He loved playing cricket. Even when he went on to become the home minister of Gujarat, he would come late at night and play cricket with all of us right here, outside in the lane. We were kids then,” recalled a 28-year-old resident of Shivkunj colony in Naranpura, which was once home to Amit Shah and his family. Here, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) flags can be seen fluttering in every nook and corner, accompanied by hoardings asking voters to ensure Amit Shah’s win with a “record majority” in the general election.
Shah, who won from Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat in 2019, is now aiming to retain his seat with a margin of more than 10 lakh votes.
Naranpura has stood witness to Shah’s political journey spanning over four decades. For most residents, they said it was a ‘matter of pride’ for them that one who came to their doorstep canvassing for votes is now among the most powerful individuals in the country.
Many who knew him personally in the 1980s and 90s said their memories with Shah still bring a smile to their faces. “He used to really enjoy flying kites, I believe he still comes to Ahmedabad during Uttarayana for kite flying,” added the Shivkunj resident quoted earlier.
His father, who was the Shahs’ neighbour for several years, told ThePrint, “He (Shah) was always fond of food. Once, there was a pani puri khumcha (vendor) passing by our colony, sometime in the evening. He made that person come inside our locality, and invited all those who were present to have it. He used to also enjoy pav bhaji at Honest.”
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Amit Shah’s Naranpura connection
Residents of Naranpura rolled out the red carpet for Shah when the Supreme Court allowed him to return to Gujarat in September 2012, two years after he was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the alleged fake encounters of Sohrabuddin Shaikh and Tulsiram Prajapati. He was later discharged by a special CBI court.
The case would have left bad memories, but it did not take away the adoration Shah enjoyed among residents of Naranpura. Around three months after he was allowed to return to the state, the people here gave Shah the perfect homecoming in the 2012 assembly elections — a victory margin of more than 63,000 votes.
It was at the Sanghvi booth in the same area where Shah worked as the BJP’s booth in-charge in 1984, and continued to cast his vote till 2019.
“Right from his early days in politics, Amit Shah worked very hard. Our association began in 1991, when Advani fought from Gandhinagar. I was the in-charge and he was co-incharge for campaigning and party work here. He would do all the groundwork. Every day, we would meet at night at around 10:30 or 11 at the party office then on Ashram Road, and have coffee from nearby Natraj Cinema,” former BJP MP Surendra Patel told ThePrint.
Around 1.5 km from Shivkunj is the Navrang Secondary School, where Amit Shah completed his Class 10 in 1979.
“His keen interest in reading is not something he picked up later, even during his school days, he would read a lot and was always curious. He has always been interested in Gujarati sanskruti (culture). It was just my parents, my brother and I in the house, and he would come often to study here during school days,” said a Naranpura resident who was Shah’s neighbour and also studied at Navrang Secondary School.
“He (Shah) always wanted the newspaper first thing in the morning, and would ask one of us to give it if the newspaper hadn’t landed at his home by the time he woke up,” he added.
Cricket, chess & administration
Amit Shah joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), ideological parent of the BJP, in 1980 at the young age of 16. He went on to complete his Class 12 from Jyoti Higher Secondary School in Ahmedabad’s Gheekanta in 1981, and thereafter acquired his B.Sc. (Second Year) degree from Gujarat College affiliated with Gujarat University.
In 1982, Shah was appointed joint secretary for the Gujarat unit of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), student wing of the RSS. He would later go on to call himself an “organic product of the Vidyarthi Parishad”. And the rest, as they say, is history.
From playing a pivotal role in shoring up the BJP’s membership numbers in Gujarat in the era that saw the party’s meteoric rise in the state, to successfully overseeing the election campaigns of leaders like L.K. Advani and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, holding as many as 12 portfolios in the cabinet of then CM Narendra Modi at one time and later assuming charge as president of the BJP and Union home minister, Amit Shah’s ascent as a leader and administrator was “full of hurdles”, but “always inevitable”, according to Patel.
“Even back then, he had clarity, was extremely hard working and a good administrator. He could always find a way out of any crisis,” Patel recalled.
According to him, Shah, a skillful politician, also exhibited his business acumen and knowledge of financial systems by reviving the Gujarat Pradesh Finance Corporation and the Ahmedabad District Co-operative Bank. “The Ahmedabad District Co-operative Bank was in a bad state. Amit Shah took over as its youngest chairman and within a year he got the bank to make a profit (of Rs 6.60 crore),” Patel told ThePrint.
A ‘one-stop shop’ for any of his colleagues looking for a solution, Shah is remembered during his tenure as state minister as someone who could see a way out of situations when no path seemed possible.
“He was always totally involved, micromanaging and striving for perfection. Yet, at the same time, he would give us the freedom to work in our own way. Anyone could go to him, and he would never not have an answer or solution to a problem, be it administrative, financial or political,” said Anil Patel, secretary of the Gujarat Cricket Association.
Given Amit Shah’s keen interest in cricket and chess, he was appointed president of the Gujarat Chess Association in 2006 and vice-chairman of the Gujarat Cricket Association in 2009 — during Narendra Modi’s tenure as chairman of the cricketing body.
He later served as chairman of Gujarat Cricket Association in 2014.
“Be it the peon, ground staff or an office-bearer, he would treat all in the same manner. He would work hard and ensure that we worked efficiently, but at the end of the day, he would sit with all of us and order snacks. He would often call for ‘Raipur na bhajiya or gota (pakoda)’ at night, and invite the entire team,” added Patel, who was of the opinion that had it not been for Amit Shah’s efforts, construction of the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad would not have been possible in such a short span of time.
It is difficult nowadays for anyone travelling across Ahmedabad or Gandhinagar to miss the ‘Aave Che, Aave Che, Shri Amit Bhai Shah Aave Che’ (brother Amit is coming) posters.
On 18 April, thousands gathered at APMC, Sanand, the starting point of Amit Shah’s day-long roadshow across his constituency. Many of them said they had travelled for over 40 km to catch a glimpse of ‘Lokladila (people’s favourite) Amit Bhai Shah’.
“I have two sons, he is the third, I come every single time he holds a roadshow. I have come here to give my blessings, not just for his win but also long life,” said 72-year-old Meena Ben who had come to attend the roadshow from her village near Nalsarovar.
As Shah smiled, waved and interacted with the people of his constituency, the shared sense of pride among his supporters was hard to miss. “He is from among us, we have seen him put up posters, and now look where he is,” said one supporter.
A day after filing his nomination, Shah told supporters, “I have been associated with this seat for the last 30 years. Before becoming an MP, I was an MLA from assembly segments that fall under this seat. I rose from a humble booth worker to becoming an MP, thanks to your love.”
He went on to ask them to ensure his victory with a ‘record-breaking’ margin in the place he calls ‘home’.
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