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In a post on X, Modi said, “He (Shah) is passionate about India’s progress and ensuring a better quality of life for the poor. He has made a mark as an outstanding administrator, making notable contributions to enhancing India’s security apparatus and further developing the cooperatives sector.”
Shah’s role in strengthening the BJP is laudatory, he said and wished, “may he be blessed with a long life and wonderful health.”
Other leading BJP leaders, including Union ministers Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari, also wished him on his birthday.
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A close confidant of the prime minister, Shah, also the minister of cooperation, has played a crucial role in the rise of the BJP under Modi’s leadership.
He was made the BJP national president in 2014 and spearheaded the party’s growth nationally as its political strength grew remarkably in several states, paving the way for its return to power at the Centre in 2019 with a bigger majority.
Shah joined the second Modi government as a Cabinet minister and was instrumental in the ruling party fulfilling its foundational pledge of nullifying Article 370, which gave Jammu and Kashmir special rights.
The home minister continues to play a key role in the party’s political and electoral strategy.