Why this August 5 is a big day for Amit Shah

India Today

5 days ago

"I am happy with the government's decision to revoke Article 370. It is a bold step towards strengthening national integration... I congratulate Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and Home Minister Shri Amit Shah for this historic initiative," said LK Advani, BJP veteran and political mentor to both leaders, on August 5, 2019 — exactly five years ago — as the former deputy PM witnessed one of the BJP-Bharatiya Jana Sangh's long-cherished goals being fulfilled. August 5 this year has special significance for Shah. He overtakes Advani as the longest-serving Home Minister of India, a period that has witnessed several overhauls and achievements.advertisementAugust 5, 2025, marks five years since that landmark move by the Centre, with Home Minister Shah at the spearhead, which was a major push towards national integration by attaining "one nation, one Constitution" promise.This comes even as speculations are rife that the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir might be restored, a move that may be seen as the culmination of the step towards national integration taken five years ago. If the buzz turns out to be true, it will mark the culmination of a journey for J&K.
This even as Shah marks a record, and as the Home Minister oversaw the fight against terrorism in J&K, which was bifurcated and turned into two union territories — Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh — five years ago.HOW SHAH RESHAPED JAMMU AND KASHMIR WITH HIS HISTORIC ANNOUNCEMENTOn August 5, 2019, Home Minister Amit Shah announced in the Rajya Sabha the revocation of Article 370, a constitutional provision granting special status to Jammu and Kashmir.This move fulfilled a long-standing BJP promise, championed by ideological figureheads like Syama Prasad Mookerjee and Advani, to "fully integrate" the region with India.Shah, in the Upper House, introduced the Constitution (Application to Jammu and Kashmir) Order, 2019, issued by then President Ram Nath Kovind, which superseded the 1954 order and applied all provisions of the Indian Constitution to Jammu and Kashmir without exceptions.The presidential order used Article 370(3), which allowed the President to amend or repeal the article with the concurrence of the state's Constituent Assembly. With Jammu and Kashmir under President's Rule and no functioning state assembly, the Parliament assumed this role, enabling Shah to push through the resolution.
Amit Shah took charge of the Union Home Ministry in 2019. The then-Union Home Secretary, Rajiv Gauba, is also seen in the picture. (Image: PIB)
The Rajya Sabha passed it with 125 votes in favour and 61 against, followed by the Lok Sabha's approval with 370 votes for and 70 against.advertisementThe subsequent Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, also introduced by Shah, bifurcated the state into two Union Territories, Jammu and Kashmir with a legislature and Ladakh without one.SHAH SURPASSES ADVANI'S TENURE AS UNION HOME MINISTERAs of Tuesday, August 5, Amit Shah will have served as Home Minister for 2,194 days, surpassing LK Advani's record of 2,193 days across the latter's tenures from 1998 to 1999 and 1999 to 2004.Advani, the towering BJP leader, had long advocated for the revocation of Article 370.Shah, often seen as Advani's protege, understood this vision but also brought it to fruition by turning the long-held ideological goal into reality.Following Shah and Advani, Govind Ballabh Pant of the Congress remains the third longest-serving Home Minister with a tenure of over six years, while P Chidambaram held the post for nearly four years during the UPA era.In 2019, Shah replaced LK Advani as the BJP candidate from the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency, which the veteran leader had represented six times in the Lok Sabha.
An old image of Amit Shah, Narendra Modi and LK Advani. The association of Advani and Shah goes back to the early 1990s, when the latter started working with the BJP in Gujarat. (Image: Social Media)
advertisementSHAH'S MHA TIME: KASHMIR INTEGRATION, NAXAL CRACKDOWN, UCC PUSHThough the abrogation of Article 370 might be the biggest feather in Shah's crown, his tenure as the Union Home Minister has also been defined by several other achievements in internal security and legislative reforms.Shah's aggressive policies against left-wing extremism have drastically reduced Naxal violence. Incidents of deaths have dropped from 5,225 between 2009 and 2014 to under 600 between 2019 and 2024.His tenure has also seen a 56% reduction in security personnel casualties from 2015 to 2019 because of left-wing extremism.Shah's zero-tolerance approach to terrorism has contributed to a 70% drop in terror-related deaths in Jammu and Kashmir during the NDA government, along with a significant decline in overall terror incidents.Kashmir saw record tourist footfall, which became an eyesore for Pakistan, which disturbed normalcy in the Valley by pulling the trigger on innocent visitors in Pahalgam on April 22.advertisementThe passage of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) 2019 was another hallmark of Shah's tenure. It fast-tracked citizenship for persecuted non-Muslim minorities from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh.
As Union Home Minister, under whose ministry the CRPF operates, Amit Shah has led efforts against terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, insurgency in the Northeast, and Naxal violence in central India. (Image: Amit Shah/X)
Shah also oversaw the abolition of triple talaq and the initiation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC).Investments in police modernisation, with Rs 8,200 crore spent on technology between 2019–2024, have bolstered security infrastructure.Amit Shah, as Union Home Minister, also played a key role in overhauling India's criminal justice system by spearheading the introduction of three landmark laws: the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) 2023, and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA) 2023. These replaced the colonial-era Indian Penal Code (IPC), Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), and Indian Evidence Act, respectively.Despite Amit Shah's numerous achievements as Home Minister, the ongoing ethnic violence in Manipur, festering since May 2023, remains a critical internal security challenge that demands action and is being attended by Shah to as a priority.As Amit Shah surpasses his mentor Advani to become the longest-serving Union Home Minister, his tenure stands out not just for milestones like the abrogation of Article 370, but for tangible shifts in internal security, legal reform, and ideological consolidation. By battling Naxals, overhauling criminal law, and pushing significant legislation like the CAA, Shah has left an indelible imprint in the country's democratic journey.- EndsTune InMust Watch