Union home minister Amit Shah on Tuesday led the events to mark 100 days of the Narendra Modi dispensation’s third term, obliquely underscoring his position as the virtual Number Two in the government.

Officially, defence minister Rajnath Singh is the designated Number Two.

This is the first time since he joined the government in 2019 that Shah has come out to lead the government’s 100-day event. With information and broadcasting minister Ashwini Vaishnaw by his side, Shah released a booklet to mark the occasion.

The government’s 100th day in power coincided with Prime Minister Modi’s 74th birthday. The BJP under Modi-Shah has an unwritten rule of leaders retiring from active politics after 75, which has triggered speculation on Modi’s successor.

During the early summer general election, Shah himself had denied the possibility of Modi retiring after 75, stressing that he would continue to lead. Despite that clarification, talks about Modi’s successor continue to swirl in the power corridors.

Giving further indication of his Number Two status, Shah claimed that the “one nation, one election” plan would be implemented in the current term of the NDA government, an issue being advocated by Modi since his first term. Government managers said most NDA allies were on board.

Shah hailed India’s foreign policy, claiming that for the first time after independence, the world was seeing a government that had displayed a spine on this front. He went on to list the key welfare schemes of the government, such as housing, toilets, LPG, drinking water, electricity and free ration for the poor. “When we go into the elections next time, there will be no one who does not own a house,” Shah said.

He said that under the Lakhpati Didi Yojana, which aims to ensure that poor women in rural areas earn at least Rs 1 lakh annually, 11 lakh new beneficiaries have been added in just 100 days.

“PM Modi was born into a poor family and he became the Prime Minister of the world’s largest democracy. Fifteen nations have given their highest honour to him. All 140
crore Indians are praying for his long life today,” Shah said, referring to Modi’s birthday.