Amit Shah
On July 8 ordered 62 airports modernized within two years and coordinated flood relief for Maharashtra and J&K; days earlier brokered a four-state Narmada cost-sharing settlement, designated 23 Pakistan-linked operatives under UAPA, and launched a 70 lakh tree plantation in Delhi.
Amit Shah is compressing an extraordinary range of governance and political work into the first week of July 2026, ordering airport modernization, coordinating flood relief across three states, brokering multi-state water settlements, and tightening the national security net, all while planning a Cabinet reshuffle and absorbing opposition attacks over alleged lawmaker defections.
On July 8, Shah ordered 62 airports made fully operational within two years, directing phased installation of automated X-ray systems, aerobridge norms, and Fast Track Immigration expansion in a review with Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu. The same day he coordinated central flood relief with CM Devendra Fadnavis for Maharashtra's waterlogging and Bhor Ghat landslides, and with CM Omar Abdullah for Jammu & Kashmir's Chenab Valley flash floods that closed NH-244 and interrupted the Machail Yatra.
A day earlier, Shah brokered a settlement among Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra ending decades-old Narmada cost-sharing disputes, calling it a "historic milestone." He also launched a 70 lakh tree plantation campaign in Delhi, inaugurated a high-security prison in Narela, and announced an NDDB partnership to process cattle dung into biogas for Yamuna pollution reduction. He assured Kerala full central support after the Wayanad tunnel landslide that killed three.
On security, his ministry designated 23 Pakistan-based operatives as terrorists under UAPA on July 4, raising the national total to 80 and empowering NIA asset seizures. He is overseeing Amarnath Yatra security with 67,000 paramilitary personnel and first-time drone detection systems following the 2025 Pahalgam attack. On June 26 he unveiled a three-year narcotics roadmap targeting 100 major cartels, and on July 1 he directed a high-level committee to examine demographic changes from illegal immigration.
Shah is directly involved in planning a Cabinet reshuffle with PM Modi and President Murmu, expected before the monsoon session as a mid-term reset ahead of UP, Uttarakhand, and Punjab elections. Meanwhile, Uddhav Thackeray accuses him of orchestrating the defection of six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs, and Rahul Gandhi separately called him a "traitor" in May. Shah has not publicly responded to either allegation. Karnataka Congress has also demanded his resignation over alleged Ram Janmabhoomi Trust embezzlement, with no MHA response recorded.
On their plate
On July 8, Shah ordered 62 airports — 21 still under development — made fully operational within two years, directing phased installation of Automated X-ray Tray Return Systems, aerobridge norms, baggage drop expansion, and Fast Track Immigration-Trusted Travellers' Programme promotion via WhatsApp. He set a 2027 deadline for FRROs at all state headquarters and reviewed CISF staffing qualifications for X-ray screening alongside Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu.
Shah has been systematically resolving decades-old inter-state water disputes. On July 7 he facilitated a four-state Narmada/Sardar Sarovar cost-sharing settlement among MP, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra with Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil, calling it a "historic milestone." On June 29 he brokered the Haryana-Rajasthan Yamuna water agreement (Rs 34,102 crore, 295.5 km pipeline), and on June 16 he chaired a six-state consensus breaking the Kishau dam funding deadlock.
Shah's ministry designated 23 Pakistan-based operatives as terrorists under UAPA Fourth Schedule on July 4, raising the national total to 80 and empowering NIA asset seizures, framing it as pursuing PM Modi's "zero tolerance against terror" vision. He is overseeing Amarnath Yatra security with 67,000 paramilitary personnel and first-time drone detection and interceptor radar systems. On June 26 he unveiled a three-year narcotics roadmap targeting 100 major cartels, and on July 1 he directed a high-level committee to study demographic changes from illegal immigration.
Shah is directly involved in planning a Union Council of Ministers reshuffle with PM Modi and President Murmu, expected before the monsoon session as a mid-term reset ahead of UP, Uttarakhand, and Punjab elections. Meanwhile, Uddhav Thackeray accuses him of orchestrating "Operation Tiger" — the defection of six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs to Eknath Shinde's faction — to secure a two-thirds NDA majority. Congress and SS(UBT) leaders allege Shah is buying MPs at Rs 15 to 50 crore each. Shah has not publicly responded.
Key relationships
Shah is working directly with PM Modi and President Murmu on a Cabinet reshuffle expected before the monsoon session, and routinely frames security initiatives as advancing Modi's vision.
Shah and Maharashtra CM Fadnavis are coordinating closely on disaster relief, inter-state water settlements, and the onion farmer crisis. Thackeray alleges Shah is working to sideline Fadnavis from PM contention.
Shah coordinated central flood relief with J&K CM Abdullah for the Chenab Valley flash floods. Separately, Abdullah's NC party is planning a Jantar Mantar protest on the first day of the monsoon session demanding restoration of J&K statehood, citing PM Modi's personal assurance to Abdullah.
Gandhi directly named Shah a traitor during Congress's Mission UP campaign in Raebareli, prompting a coordinated BJP counterattack.
Thackeray accuses Shah of orchestrating the defection of six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs to Eknath Shinde's faction to sideline Fadnavis and secure a two-thirds NDA majority for a delimitation bill.
Shah praised West Bengal CM Adhikari at the Mookerjee commemoration and backed his 'detect, delete, deport' anti-infiltration drive, with the MHA transferring border land to BSF for fencing.
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