The Chief Guest
Shri Amit shah
Minister of Home Affairs
Minister of Co-operation
Govt. of India
Amitbhai Anilchandra Shah, the former President of the Bharatiya Janata Party and India’s Home Minister, was born on 22 October 1964 to a Gujarati couple Mrs. Kusum Ben and Mr. Anilchandra Shah living in Mumbai. Amitbhai Anilchandra Shah’s grandfather was a wealthy merchant (Nagar Seth) in Mansa, a small princely state of Baroda State of Gaikwad. Till the age of 16, Amitbhai Anilchandra Shah lived in his native village Mansa in Gujarat. It is there where he received his primary education. The young Shah’s early education took place according to the ‘Indian Value Tradition’ under the supervision of prominent scholars of the Gaikwad State. He was taught Indian scriptures, historical texts, grammar and epics in his childhood. He continued to study Indian philosophy and texts even in the later years.
Amitbhai Anilchandra Shah’s family moved to Ahmedabad after the completion of his primary education. His mother had a deep influence in his life. She was an avid Gandhian and she inspired him to wear Khadi. In his youth, while during education, he read biographies of many patriots and was deeply influenced by their passion for the motherland. He has been greatly influenced by the writings of K.M. Munshi.
Shah was only 13 years old when the 1977 general elections were held during the emergency period. Despite his young age, he actively participated in election campaign putting up poster-stickers for the election candidate Maniben Patel, the daughter of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. She was then contesting as a candidate nominated by Jana Sangh from Mehsana Lok Sabha seat.
Amitbhai Anilchandra Shah’s public life began early at the age of 16 in 1980 when he joined as a young Swayamsevak of the Sangh. In the mean-time he also was associated with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi. In 1982, Shah was made joint secretary of the Gujarat unit of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad. He also worked for the BJP in 1984 as a polling agent for Sanghvi booth of Narayanpur ward. In the year 1987, Amitbhai Anilchandra Shah joined the Yuva Morcha of the BJP.
Due to his studious nature, Amitbhai Anilchandra Shah was also associated with the Deendayal Research Institute in the eighties. He was with its state unit as the treasurer for eight years. During this period, Amitbhai Anilchandra Shah got the opportunity to stay close to the great social reformer Nanaji Deshmukh and see his working style and learn from it.
In 1989, Amitbhai Anilchandra Shah became BJP secretary of BJP’s Ahmedabad unit. During this period, the wind of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi movement was blowing across the country. Amitbhai Anilchandra Shah fulfilled his responsibility given by the party in the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi movement and later in the Ekta Yatra. Whenever Shri LK Advani and Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee contested elections from Gandhinagar Lok Sabha, Amitbhai Anilchandra Shah handled the responsibility of their election management very well. He handled this responsibility of managing Advani’s Lok Sabha elections till 2009.