Amit Shah,
India’s Union Home Minister, turned 58 on Saturday, October 22, 2022. A
long-time associate of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Amit Shah is regarded as
the number 2 of the Indian executive. On his birthday, it was Narendra Modi who
led wishes. “Birthday greetings to Shri @Amit Shah Ji. As India’s Home Minister
he is making numerous efforts for our nation’s progress. He is also doing
commendable work in reforming the important cooperative sector. May he lead a
long and healthy life in service of our nation,” the Indian Prime Minister
tweeted.

Amit Shah’s
association with politics goes back to his student days. While studying biochemistry
at CU Shah Science College, Amit Shah joined the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi
Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
Shah’s association with the RSS, however, goes back even further. He used to
attend RSS shakhas as a child.

Here are
three little-known things about India’s Home Minister:

1.       Amit Shah is the youngest Indian
Home Minister

Sworn-in at
the age of 54, Amit Shah is India’s youngest home minister till date. Shah took
charge of the critical post after Narendra Modi won a second term as prime
minister in 2019. Prior to that, Amit Shah was the President of the Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP) from 2014 to 2019.

2.       Amit Shah joined BJP before Narendra
Modi

Amit Shah
and Narendra Modi go back a long way. The duo has played a critical role in
Gujarat politics during Modi’s 12-year reign as chief minister of the state. However,
while Narendra Modi is senior to Amit Shah in the RSS scheme of things, Shah
joined the BJP a year before Narendra Modi did.

Also Read | It’s Amit Shah’s birthday: Modi, Himanta lead wishes for Home Minister

Amit Shah
and Narendra Modi met for the first time in 1982. At the time, Modi was an RSS
pracharak in charge of the organisation’s youth wing. Amit Shah joined BJP in
1987 while Narendra Modi joined the party a year later.

3.       Amit Shah has broad experience with
cooperatives

Amit Shah
taking on the role of Minister of Cooperation has energised India’s cooperative
sector. Cooperatives have always been key to Shah’s politics. When Keshubhai
Patel became Gujarat chief minister in 1995, Shah and Modi worked together to oust
the Congress from Gujarat’s rural ramparts. In this enterprise, cooperatives
were key.

Amit Shah
was instrumental in turning Gujarat’s powerful cooperative sector profitable,
cementing his position in the state’s financial ecosystem.