Speculation is rife in the BJP on Amit Shah joining the Narendra Modi government — while one section feels the possibility of such a move is bright, the others are wondering why the undisputed party No. 2 would restrict himself to a ministry.
Ever since Shah, also a Rajya Sabha MP, decided to contest the Lok Sabha polls from Gandhinagar, there had been conjecture that he could take up a ministerial assignment. After the results were announced, most BJP leaders became certain that Shah would become the official No. 2 in the Modi government with a ministry of his choice.
With the date of Modi’s swearing-in drawing closer, many in the BJP, including some of those who were certain that Shah would become a minister, now think he should not be part of the cabinet.
“Why should Amitbhai join the government? He is already the No. 2. All the BJP chief ministers report to him. Why should he limit himself to one ministry?” wondered a BJP leader.
Party leaders in the “Nos” camp feel Shah would prefer to concentrate on winning more states for the BJP, most important among them being Bengal in 2021, and fulfill his promise of the party ruling from “panchayat to Parliament”.
“There is no replacement for Shah. The party needs him for another term. He will join the government only after capturing Bengal,” a BJP leader said.
According to the BJP’s constitution, a party president can have a maximum of two terms. Shah took over in 2014 and for the next one-and-a-half years, completed the remaining term of Rajnath Singh, who joined the ministry. Shah’s first term has expired now and if he opts for another, he will continue as party chief till 2021, when the Bengal Assembly polls are due.
Those who are in favour of Shah joining the government have based their logic on the seeming certainty of him being Modi’s “natural successor”.
“Amitbhai will join the government to gain experience,” a leader said. “Despite being in the government, he can run the party organisation because he is a hard-worker and a multi-tasker,” a leader said.
There is speculation in the BJP over who could succeeded Shah as party chief.
The names of J.P. Nadda and Dharmendra Pradhan, ministers in the outgoing government, are doing the rounds. Everyone in the party knows that if at all Shah decides to become a minister, his replacement as BJP chief would be of his choice and the name would be known at the last hour.
The buzz in BJP corridors is that Shah would choose one of two portfolios — finance and home. Both ministries are located at Raisina Hill, considered the seat of power. The news trickling out from Shah’s coterie in Delhi and Ahmedabad is that the leader prefers finance.
Another section of BJP leaders in Delhi, however, feel the home portfolio would suit Shah more since the ministry traditionally has been regarded as the most important.
In the outgoing government, senior leader Rajnath Singh was home minister and the official No. 2. “The power dynamics have changed in ‘new India’,” a BJP leader said.
