Kiren Rijiju

Kiren Rijiju is an Indian lawyer and politician from Arunachal Pradesh. Rijiju is the Current Union Minister of State for Home Affairs of India, Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, and Minister of State in the Ministry of Minority Affairs of India. He was born on 19-November-1971 to a leading family of Rinchin Kharu and Chirai Rijiju in Nakhu near Nafra in the West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh in India.

Early Life:

He was born to a leading family of Rinchin Kharu and Chirai Rijiju. His father himself was the first pro-tem speaker of Arunachal to give an oath to the Members of the First State Assembly.

He was an active social worker since his school days and led various social movements as a social worker and student leader. As a member of the youth and cultural team he participated in the Festival of India in the USSR in 1987. He has widely visited many countries across the world as a youth leader as well as a member of various Parliamentary delegations. He was named the best athlete in his school and college days and participated in the National Games.

Kiren Rijiju is a graduate of Hansraj College, University of Delhi, and also has a graduate degree in Law from Campus Law Centre, Faculty of the Law University of Delhi.

Political Career:

A Lawyer by Profession turned Politician is from Arunachal Pradesh. A firebrand politician, Rijiju is well known for his oratory skills and has widely traveled around the world. Kiren Rijiju is considered the face of the Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) in North East India. He served as a Member of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission from 2000 to 2005 at the very young age of 29. Kiren Rijiju is arguably the most iconic political leader from the State of Arunachal Pradesh and North East India in recent times; he is often being referred to as the “voice of North East India”. He occasionally writes articles on security & socio-economic issues.

In the 2004 general election, he was elected as a Member of the 14th Lok Sabha, representing the constituency of Arunachal West in the Indian Parliament, which is the fourth largest Parliamentary constituency in India.

During 2004-09, Kiren Rijiju was placed among the top 5 opposition MPs reviewed by their peers in the treasury bench based on the high benchmark in debates, discussions, and decorum and was placed among stalwarts like L.K. Advani. He was also chosen as the best young MP by many national news agencies and magazines.

In the 2009 general election, Rijiju was defeated by a very thin margin of 1314 votes by the Congress candidate under very controversial circumstances which witnessed massive violence amidst allegation of polling booth capturing by Congress Party.

He was one of the most outspoken Parliamentarians in the 14th Lok Sabha. Rijiju entered the Lok Sabha for the second time in 2014 from the Arunachal (West) constituency of Arunachal Pradesh in India.

In the 2014 general election, Kiren Rijiju was again elected as a Member of Parliament in the 16th Lok Sabha, representing the Arunachal West constituency. Kiren Rijiju defeated Takam Sanjoy of the Indian National Congress by a margin of 43,738 votes. Immediately he found a place in Narendra Modi’s first best of 45 Council of Minister’s list as Minister of State for Home.

Kiren Rijiju attracted criticism when, during the 2017 Rohingya refugee crisis, he stated that “Rohingyas are illegal immigrants and stand to be deported”. He also stated that “India has absorbed the maximum number of refugees in the world so nobody should give India any lessons on how to deal with refugees”.

In May 2019, Rijiju became Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Youth Affairs and Sports and Minister of State for Minority Affairs.

Interesting Facts:

Adjudged as the Best Young Parliamentarian by the Media during 14th Lok Sabha Recently designated by United Nations as Disaster Risk Champion for Asia Pacific Region due to his work in the area of Disaster Management, First Indian to be conferred with this Honour. He is known for taking daring steps and doing adventurous actions, Kiren Rijiju has emerged as a popular youth leader of India. He leads a disciplined lifestyle and maintains good physical fitness. He was named the best athlete in his school and college days and participated in the National Games Wrote many articles in the newspapers and magazines relating to social, cultural, and political issues; Has a special interest in Strategic & Security Affairs. Member, Khadi and Village Industries Commission, Government of India, 2001- 2004 Member of many National and International organizations. Wrote many articles in the newspapers and magazines relating to social, cultural, and political issues; Has a special interest in Strategic & Security Affairs. Visiting historical and religious places, sightseeing and interacting with people living in the remote areas of the world; Cultural Exchange Programmes amongst various Communities

Personal Life:

He married Joram Rina Rijiju in 2004 and has two sons and three daughters. Rina Rijiju is a graduate from Lady Shri Ram College for Women, New Delhi, and is a gold medalist from Arunachal University. She is an Assistant Professor teaching history at Dera Natung College, Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh.