Pradhan Wishes Amit Shah, Cites Article 370 and Naxal Fight
Synopsis
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan wished Home Minister Amit Shah on his birthday, praising Shah's role in abrogating Article 370 and driving decisive anti-Naxal action, closing with prayers to Odia deities Jagannath and Maa Samaleswari for his health and longevity.
Key Takeaways
Dharmendra Pradhan posted birthday greetings to Amit Shah on 22 October 2026 on X.
Pradhan credited Shah specifically with the abrogation of Article 370 and 'decisive action against Naxalism' as core security achievements.
Article 370 was abrogated in August 2019 , reorganising Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories — a move Shah piloted as Home Minister.
The National Policy and Action Plan against Left Wing Extremism (launched 2015 ) has driven coordinated operations in Chhattisgarh , Jharkhand and Odisha .
Pradhan invoked Mahaprabhu Jagannath and Maa Samaleswari — deities central to Odisha — to pray for Shah's health, reflecting his own Odia identity.
On his birthday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah received warm wishes from Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who on Thursday, 22 October 2026 took to X to honour Shah's tenure — invoking two of the BJP government's most politically charged security milestones in the same breath.
Posting in Hindi, Pradhan wrote: 'Desh ke mananiya Griha evam Sahkarita Mantri Shri Amit Shah ji ko janmadivas ki hardik shubhkamnayein' — 'Heartfelt birthday greetings to the honourable Home and Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah.' He did not stop at pleasantries. Pradhan specifically credited Shah for 'decisive action against Naxalism' and for his 'important role in strengthening the country's internal security,' anchoring the tribute firmly to governance outcomes rather than personal sentiment. He closed by invoking Mahaprabhu Shri Jagannath and Maa Samaleswari — two deities central to Odisha's spiritual landscape — to pray for Shah's health and long life, a distinctly Odia touch from a minister who represents that state.
The two pillars Pradhan chose to name
The specific mentions of Article 370 and the anti-Naxal campaign are not incidental. The abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019 — executed through a presidential order and a parliamentary resolution that reorganised Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories — was the single most consequential internal-security move of the Modi government's first decade, and Amit Shah, then in his first year as Home Minister, was its legislative architect. It rewrote the constitutional relationship between the Centre and a border state, and remains the headline exhibit whenever BJP leaders assess Shah's security legacy. The second pillar — the campaign against Left Wing Extremism — has a longer arc. The National Policy and Action Plan against LWE, launched in 2015, set in motion coordinated security operations across Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Odisha — the last of which is Pradhan's home state. That the Odisha-born Education Minister chose to highlight the Naxal front is, in that light, both a national tribute and a personal acknowledgement of what security operations in his own region have meant to people there.Pradhan's Odia invocation
By closing with prayers to Jagannath and Samaleswari, Pradhan layered an unmistakably Odia cultural register onto what is otherwise a Delhi-centric political tribute. Mahaprabhu Jagannath, enshrined at Puri, and Maa Samaleswari, the presiding deity of western Odisha at Sambalpur, together represent the state's coastal and inland spiritual identities. For Pradhan — himself from Sambalpur — the choice of both deities is a signature, not a formality.Point of View
Pradhan's dual invocation of Jagannath and Samaleswari reinforces the party's cultural claim on that state's identity. Together, the message slots into the BJP's broader effort to frame internal-security gains as a durable electoral and ideological legacy heading into future electoral cycles.
NationPress
22 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Amit Shah being wished on 22 October?
22 October is Amit Shah's birthday. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan posted birthday greetings on X, highlighting Shah's security milestones as Home Minister.
What did Dharmendra Pradhan say about Article 370?
Pradhan credited Amit Shah with playing an 'important role' in strengthening internal security, specifically naming the abrogation of Article 370 — the constitutional provision that granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir, removed by Parliament in August 2019 .
What is the significance of the Naxalism reference in Pradhan's post?
Pradhan acknowledged Shah's 'decisive action against Naxalism,' referring to intensified government operations under the National Policy and Action Plan against Left Wing Extremism across states including Chhattisgarh , Jharkhand and Odisha — Pradhan's own home state.
Who are Jagannath and Maa Samaleswari?
Mahaprabhu Jagannath is the presiding deity of the famous temple at Puri , Odisha, while Maa Samaleswari is the presiding deity of Sambalpur in western Odisha — both are deeply revered across the state and hold special significance for Dharmendra Pradhan, who hails from Sambalpur.
What was Amit Shah's role in the abrogation of Article 370?
As Union Home Minister , Amit Shah was the key parliamentary architect of the August 2019 move to abrogate Article 370, presenting the presidential order and resolution in Parliament that reorganised Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories.
