Amit Shah, Indian minister accused by Canada, is Modi’s closest aide

NEW DELHI: India’s interior minister Amit Shah, accused by Canada of being behind plots to target Sikh separatists in that country, has been Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s closest aide for decades and is widely seen as his hard-nosed alter ego and potential successor.

Shah’s office and the Indian foreign ministry did not respond to requests for comment on the accusation. India has previously denied any role in the 2023 murder of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada and the alleged targeting of other dissidents there, although the row has led to expulsions of diplomats in both countries.

Canada has not released any evidence of Shah’s alleged role in the campaign against separatists from India’s Sikh minority, which was referred to by Canadian Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister David Morrison on Tuesday.

Many political analysts consider Shah, 60, the most powerful politician in India after Modi and the two, both Hindu nationalists, have been working together in national or provincial governments for more than two decades, starting with their native Gujarat state. Shah is widely seen likely to take over if Modi leaves office.

When Modi attended his first press conference in India as prime minister in 2019, he made a brief statement but took no questions, pointing to then-ruling party president Shah sitting by him. “I am a disciplined soldier (of the party), the president is everything to me,” Modi said, referring to Shah.