Even as the nation started talking about Gujarat’s minister of state for home Amit Shah who has been summoned by CBI, there were and are few people who know the RSS loyalist and shrewd politician who hardly has any personal friends.
However, though Mr Shah, who prides in having a gamut of acquaintances but hardly any personal friends, is a Machiavellian politician who shies away from publicity, he can still “manage” everything. As a senior BJP leader put it on Thursday, “Amitbhai can manage any and everything from fake encounters to highest victory margins and the best business deals in the state.”
It is not a surprise for his supporters that in December 2002, when Mr Narendra Modi crushed the Congress to win a record 126 seats in the 182-member Gujarat Assembly, his Man Friday was Amit Shah. And it was Amit who won by the highest margin of votes, over 1.58 lakh, even higher than Mr Modi himself.
Amit Anilchandra Shah is a man of few words. He belongs to the baniya community known for their business acumen and long-term planning.
Sarkhej has elected Amit Shah as its MLA in four consecutive elections. He bettered his 2002 margin of victory in 2007, winning by a lead of 2.35 lakh votes.
Till the Sohrabuddin fake encounter case came back to haunt him, Mr Shah has only risen, not least because of his mentor Narendra Modi, whose second-in-command he has been for some time now. Before the CBI net started closing in on Mr Shah this year, he was even considered an option for chief minister if Mr Modi had to move to national politics.
Mr Shah’s loyalty to Mr Modi is not a new phenomenon. BJP workers recall how Amit, ever since he was a young college student, has been loyal to Mr Modi. Whether Mr Modi was in power or out of power, Mr Shah did not change his stance. He is such a fan of Mr Modi that last year on the CM’s birthday he managed to get control of the Gujarat Cricket Association and gift its presidentship to Mr Modi.
In fact, BJP and RSS workers credit Mr Shah for it was his relentless work since last two decades that saw the BJP gaining control over the cooperative bank sector and cricket association.
Before the Sohrabuddin controversy erupted, Mr Amit Shah was eyeing to gain control of the Gujarat Milk Cooperative Federation which owns the Amul brand.
Those few people who know him say that Mr Shah does not like too much of socialising and does not open out even to his closest friends. He began grooming his only child a son who is also active in cricket in Gujarat at the backdoor level.