Union Home Minister Amit Shah, a political leader second only to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in evoking popular interest, curiosity and deep respect; will turn 59 on October 22. Till 2014, he was known only as the ex-Gujarat Home Minister who later rose to become BJP General Secretary in 2013-14. But post 2014, after becoming the BJP's youngest National President, there was no looking back for this 'Man-always-on-a-Mission,' known for exceptional leadership qualities.
A dedicated RSS Swayamsevak, Amit Shah has a multi-dimensional personality. Unabashedly taking pride in Indian culture, his drawing room always had two portraits; that of Arya Chanakya and Swatanryaveer Sawarkar. Known for his courage of conviction, he has become famous for three Ds - dexterity, decisiveness and above all, dedication to his ideology.
In Amit Shah one comes across a rare combination of organisational skills and strategic thinking. Through his unparalleled dexterity in various aspects of science of organisation, he has contributed remarkably to the BJP organisation while helming this Largest Political Party of the World. In 2014, he started his tenure with a mass-membership campaign, making the BJP the first political party to use smart-phones for enrolment of party members. From 10 founding members of Jan Sangh, during Amit Shah's tenure, India's only ideology-based party with a pan-India presence, reached 10 crores.
His unquestionable dedication to ideology makes him work untiringly for long hours, whether for the cause of the organisation or that of the government. And importantly, he not only understands but also strives to make others understand the Mission of the BJP. "Remember, we are not running an election winning machine, we are essentially a mission-oriented party," he used to stress eloquently during his presidency.
During his two tenures of three years each, Amit Shah achieved historic firsts. He created some 19 different departments for the smooth functioning of the party, revived a system of structured organisational tours, remarkably tried to make the BJP's presence not just felt, but also productive in previously barren states like Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Telangana and more particularly, West Bengal; and added a new Sewa (service to Humanity) dimension to party work. It was during his tenure that the party started service - projects like saving the girl child; eradication of manual scavenging and cleaning of rivers in respective districts/regions.
With an institution builder's approach; Amit Shah created a new building for the BJP's headquarters in the capital, well-equipped with all facilities including libraries; both physical and digital. In fact, conscious of the fact that the organisation needs its own adequately large office spaces; Amit Shah embarked on a office-building-construction spree that resulted in the creation of party office infrastructures from Aizawl to Anantnag and Kozhikode to Kohima.
Amit Shah knows very well that the devil is in the details. It was because of this basic understanding that he personally reviewed the functioning of party units at the booth level and at the end, came out with a 23-point action plan for the party's booth in-charge Karyakartas.
His ability to take courageous decisions puts him in a different league. His making an alliance with Mehbooba Mufti's party in Kashmir ensured the installation of the first government with BJP's participation in Jammu and Kashmir, something nobody could have imagined. Like his mentor PM Modi, Amit Bhai too is known for taking legitimate risks and as it happens; risk takers are always rewarded in politics. His ability to take hard decisions and make strategic moves with dexterity eventually saw a record number of 13 states where the BJP acquired power during the first three years of his president-ship.
Again, all three Ds were on full display during the last 4.5 years of his tenure as Home Minister. Earlier, when he was Minister in Gujarat handling portfolios like Home, Panchayati Raj, Prohibition, and Transport he became known for many significant initiatives. His efforts for systemic changes for fixing accountability of lower bureaucracy in Panchayati Raj institutions, creating modern forensic laboratories and making coastal policing effective and result-oriented earned him great success.
As Home Minister he has worked overtime to ensure that India becomes terror-free. Data-driven deterrence and discipline of an exceptionally high order are the two points he has refused to compromise on. Within less than a year after the deadly Pulwama attack in 2019, militancy is seen to be consistently on the wane. Despite the apprehensions of many, organising a meeting of G-20 right in Srinagar was also reflective of the Home Minister's courage of conviction. In Jammu and Kashmir, on the one hand, people have almost forgotten the spectre of clashes between public and security forces, statistics also show that youths are now more interested in joining thr military than militancy. Official records say between 2018 and 2022, deaths of security personnel fell by 66 per cent, whereas terror attacks/encounters fell by 45 per cent. Changes in the ground situation have also resulted in more tourists visiting this heaven on earth.
However, what is more remarkable about Amit Shah is his long term vision and clarity about the objectives. Recently, at a Chintan Shivir of his Ministry, he rightly emphasised on the need to visualise the challenges of the future and find their advance solutions. He has always stressed the need for enhanced use of AI while utilising the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) database for critical analysis of crimes, making cities more safe for women, children and vulnerable sections. After the introduction of new reforms, this portal today provides for digitisation of data related to FIR registration, investigation, and charge sheets eventually developing a national database of crime and criminals.
An absolute workaholic, Amit Shah is never short of motivation due to his clarity of thoughts. According to him, political parties need to be assessed on the basis of their philosophy, internal democracy in their organisation and their performance when in power. 'We are not here to make somebody a Minister and some other person a bank chairperson,' he had said many times without mincing words. Later, in a monograph "Why BJP is in Politics" he also reminded party cadres that 'the BJP wants to re-establish a strong element of integrity in the politics of this country. Transparent governance, participatory democracy and all-inclusive harmonious society are our top priorities. We wish that India should become so prosperous that it would be on the top of the World.'
Vinay Sahasrabuddhe is former MP, Rajya Sabha and columnist, besides being President of Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR)
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author.