Fly on the
Wall
The importance of being Amit Shah
More than
three years as Home Minister in the Modi government, the importance of Amit
Shah has grown leaps and bounds. His imprint can be seen here, there and
everywhere not only in the government but in the party as well. He is
already traveling states after states in the run up to the 2024 Lok Sabha
polls. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is increasingly leaning on Amit Shah in the
government's decision making process. Insiders in the government say after Arun
Jaitley’s death in 2019, the PM is left with no confidant other than Amit Shah.
Though Defense Minister Rajnath Singh is number two in the hierarchy in the
government. But for all practical purposes, Amit Shah is number two. Rajnath
Singh maintains a low profile and avoids giving his opinion on any issue and
prefers that Amit Shah may speak his mind. Even when the Prime Minister assigns
him some problems, Rajnath Singh will consult Amit Shah. The PM is heavily
dependent on Shah in resolving inter-ministerial and Centre-state issues. A
majority of Union Ministers make it a point to connect with Amit Shah before
knocking at the doors of the PMO. It transpires that Modi and Shah speak to
each other on the RAX system more than a dozen times in a day. The Rax is
a dedicated secured wired telephone service for Union Ministers and secretary
rank officers. There is no doubt that Modi-Amit Shah jugalbandi goes back to
their days in Gujarat. When Modi came to Delhi as PM in 2014, Amit Shah was
inducted as BJP president and held the post for six long years (2014-2020). His
grip on the organization continuous even after J P Nadda succeeded him.
Nadda maintains a low profile and ensures to consult Amit Shah even in tiny
matters. Some of the recent changes in the party organization clearly show Amit
Shah’s imprint. There are, however, a couple of instances where the PM
took his decisions which were not palatable to Amit Shah. But Amit Shah
continues to be a pivot.
Mukul
Rohtagi’s rising Graph
Mukul
Rohtagi’s is a rare case and clearly reflects his importance. Rohtagi had quit
as Attorney General of India in 2017 after completing his three year tenure. No
reasons either by Rohtagi as to why he quit or by the government why it allowed
him to go. Rohtagi returned back to his roaring law practice clocking around Rs
100 crore a year. The 86-year old K K Venugopal who succeeded Rohtagi,
continued for five years. But the government was unable to find a suitable
successor. Modi was unwilling to promote Tushar Mehta, Solicitor-General as AG.
It was during this period PM Modi and Mukul Rohtagi bumped into each other at
the Arun Jaitley Memorial lecture at Vigyan Bhawan. Modi’s instant comment was,
“Arre Kahan Rahate ho aajkal!”. The matter did not end at Vigyan Bhawan.
Soon Rohtagi got a call and he went to meet the Prime Minister. It would be
interesting to note that Union Home Minister Amit Shah was already sitting
there with the PM. What transpired among them is not known. But Rohtagi was
asked to serve the nation at this crucial juncture. Rest is history. Rohtagi’s
return as AG establishes that Modi takes his own decisions and the presence of
Amit Shah shows that he is in the loop in every decision making process of the
government. Rohtagi is a lawyer par excellence and has cordial and personal
relations with the bar and the bench. Modi wants a smooth ride until the 2024
Lok Sabha elections and no needling by the judiciary.
