Amit Shah is an Indian politician and a key strategist of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He has served as India’s Minister of Home Affairs since 2019, making him a three-time Home Minister, and has been the country’s first Minister of Cooperation since 2021. Previously, he was the BJP President from 2014 to 2020, playing a crucial role in the party’s electoral successes.
A close aide of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Shah’s political career began with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its student wing, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). Shah joine the RSS in1982 and the BJP in 1987 and rose up to become a key figure in Gujarat politics. After the 2002 Gujarat assembly elections, he became the youngest minister in then Chief Minister Modi’s cabinet, holding 12 portfolios, including the Ministry of Home. Shah represented the Gujarat Legislative Assembly from Sarkhej (1997–2012) and Naranpura (2012–2017).
In 2017, he was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Gujarat, and in 2019, he was elected to the Lok Sabha from Gandhinagar. He took oath as a Lok Sabha member in June 2024.
Shah has been embroiled in several controversies, including accusations of involvement in extrajudicial killings during his tenure as Gujarat’s Home Minister and his alleged role in illegal surveillance. His handling of the inter-tribe conflict in Manipur, which began in 2023, has attracted criticism, with many questioning the government’s response to the escalating violence and the security situation in the region.
The past and present governments must be sued for failing to maintain recommended number of fighter jets.
AIMIM Leader Owaisi challenged why TOI published a headline saying ‘Kalma saved the tourists’. The standard Muslim response of saying terrorists are not Muslims is extremely evasive and selfish. Muslims want an associated Ummah which protects everyone associated with it. But the Ummah should also bear responsibilities for the crimes of its constituents. Just discarding them when convenient means you are only caring about not being blamed.
Owaisi and other Muslim leaders should acknowledge the systematic racism in Kashmir where outsiders and non Muslims are targeted and killed. A reparation system should be brought. Just as affirmative action is a response to past oppression. Kashmiri muslims should be required to give up a privilege for this. Just talking is not enough. May be an additional tax to support security operation. The reverse of hire local. In general if you treat outsiders with contempt you lose your right to be treated with privilege.