Amit Shah is an Indian politician currently serving as the Minister of Home Affairs. He served as the President of the Bharatiya Janata Party from 2014 to 2020. He was elected to the lower house of Parliament, Lok Sabha, in the 2019 Indian general elections from Gandhinagar.
Personal details
| DOB | 22nd October 1964 |
|---|---|
| Place of Birth | Mumbai, India |
| Political Party | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| Father's Name | Anilchandra Gokaldas Shah |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Spouse | Smt. Sonalbahen |
| Children | Jay Shah |
| Siblings | Aarthi Shah |
| Education | B.Sc. |
| Profession before joining politics | Worked as stockbroker and in co-operative banks in Ahmedabad. |
| Positions Held | President of the Bharatiya Janata Party |
| Member of | BJP |
| Important positions held | Chairperson of National Democratic Alliance. |
| President of the Bharatiya Janata Party. | |
| MP of Rajya Sabha for Gujarat. | |
| Member of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly. | |
| Alma mater | Gujarat University |
| Website | www.amitshah.co.in |
Scandals
Amit Shah was in the middle of a major controversy when he was accused of orchestrating the killings of Sohrabuddin Sheikh, his wife Kauser Bi and his accomplice Tulsiram Prajapati. According to the CBI, two Rajasthan-based businessmen paid Amit Shah to get rid of Sohrabuddin who was harassing them. The reports of the case suggest that the killings were planned and the criminals were gunned down in an extrajudicial encounter in which Amit Shah, DIG DG Vanzara and SP Rajkumar Pandian were allegedly involved. But Amit Shah denied the allegations accusing the Congress of remote controlling the CBI to falsely implicate him. Amit Shah, along with DG Vanzara, was allegedly involved in the Ishrat Jahan fake encounter case but the CBI gave him a clean chit.
Amit Shah was reportedly accused of tampering with evidences and influencing witnesses in the 2002 Gujarat Riots and also illegally passing orders of spying on a woman in connection with the Ishrat Jahan fake encounter case. The Opposition demanded a probe to be carried out under the ‘Snoopgate’ case. But in May 2014, the woman testified in the court that the surveillance on her was based on personal request. She urged the court to stop any further investigations to maintain her privacy. Amit Shah called the accusations a political propaganda against him by the opposition parties.
Amit Shah is known for his statements that has promoted hatred and ill-will between religions. In April he had spoken to Hindu residents in Muzaffarnagar, in western Uttar Pradesh, calling on them to use their votes for the sake of getting revenge at the ballot box. This has led the cruel violence between Hindus and Muslims in September 2013 when over 40 people were killed and tens of thousands were displaced.
Amit Shah’s Arrest and Exile
Amit Shah, who was considered the perfect successor to Narendra Modi as the Chief Minister of Gujarat, was arrested in the Sohrabuddin Fake Encounter case on 25 July, 2010. He faced a number of charges including murder and extortion. This dented his claim for the CM’s post. He subsequently applied for bail but the CBI said that he might influence the investigations. Shah was granted bail in October, 2010 but was barred from entering Gujarat. Two years later, Amit Shah was allowed to enter Gujarat by the Supreme Court. This enabled Amit Shah to contest the 2012 Gujarat legislative Assembly elections and he won from the Naranpura constituency.
