The North Block Challenge

Thanks to his proximity to the PM, Amit Shah might be able to restore the centrality of the home ministry

Amit Shah, Amit Shah home minister, Narendra Modi, Modi shah, Modi cabinet, NDA cabinet, MHA, Home Ministry, Amit Shah MHA — Is this going to be a case of the iron fist of the home ministry in the velvet glove of vikas and vishwas? Are we up against a Janus-faced Modi 2.0, sending mixed signals? (Express photo/Tashi Tobgyal)

Just as I was beginning to argue that the Union Ministry of Home Affairs — the fixed point around which the politics of the state and the nation revolve — was losing its moorings, Modi 2.0 has delivered a coup de grâce. The appointment of Amit Shah to head this key ministry should go a long way to meet a structural crisis — the policy paralysis in Kashmir, allegations of lynching, and consternation in the Northeast — that had become painfully evident towards the final days of the previous government. Is this going to be a case of the iron fist of the home ministry in the velvet glove of vikas and vishwas? Are we up against a Janus-faced Modi 2.0, sending mixed signals?