Kiren Rijiju

Kiren Rijiju (born 19 November 1971) is an Indian lawyer and politician from Arunachal Pradesh. A member of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Rijiju is the current 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.

Kiren Rijiju
Kiren Rijiju addressing the ‘India Disaster Response Summit’, in New Delhi
Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Youth Affairs and Sports
Assumed office
30 May 2019
Prime MinisterNarendra Modi
Preceded byCol. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore
Minister of State for Minority Affairs
Assumed office
30 May 2019
Prime MinisterNarendra Modi
MinisterMukhtar Abbas Naqvi
Preceded byVirendra Kumar
Minister of State for Home Affairs (India)
In office
26 May 2014 – 30 May 2019
Prime MinisterNarendra Modi
MinisterRajnath Singh
Preceded byR. P. N. Singh
Succeeded byG. Kishan Reddy
Nityanand Rai
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
Assumed office
16 May 2014
Preceded byTakam Sanjoy
ConstituencyArunachal West
In office
2004–2009
Preceded byJarbom Gamlin
Succeeded byTakam Sanjoy
ConstituencyArunachal West
Personal details
Born19 November 1971 (1971-11-19) (age 48)[1]
Nafra, West Kameng district, Arunachal Pradesh, India
Political partyBharatiya Janata Party
Spouse(s)Joram Rina Rijiju
Residence9, Krishna Menon Marg, New Delhi – 110011
EducationB.A., LL.B[2]
Alma materHansraj College, University of Delhi
Websitesites.google.com/site/kirenrijiju/

Early life

Kiren Rijiju was born on 19 November 1971 at Nakhu near Nafra in West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh in India. He was born to a leading family of Sri Rinchin Kharu and Smt. Chirai Rijiju. His father himself was the first pro-tem speaker of Arunachal to give oath to the Members of the first State Assembly.[3]

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 USSR in 1987. He has widely visited many countries across the world as a youth leader as well as member of various Parliamentary delegations. He was named the best athlete in his school and college days and participated in the National Games.[3]

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 Law University of Delhi.[4]

Political career

Kiren Rijiju is considered the face of Bharatiya Janata Party in North East India. He served as a Member of Khadi and Village Industries Commission from 2000 to 2005 at a very young age of 29. Kiren Rijiju has been appointed as India's new Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports in 2019. 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.[5][6]

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 terms of Area) in India. 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.[7]

During 2004-09, Kiren Rijiju was placed among the top 5 opposition MPs reviewed by their peers in the treasury bench based on 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.[3]

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.[8]

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.[9] Immediately he found a place in Narendra Modi's first best of 45 Council of Minister's list as Minister of State for Home.[10][11]

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 maximum number of refugees in the world so nobody should give India any lessons on how to deal with refugees".[12][13][14][15]

In May 2019, Rijiju became Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Youth Affairs and Sports and Minister of State for Minority Affairs.[16]

Personal life

His wife is Joram Rina Rijiju; they were married in 2004.[4] She 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.

References
  1. "Kiren Rijiju, a youth leader from Arunachal Pradesh". Ibn Live. Press Trust of India. 26 May 2014. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
  2. "KIREN RIJIJU BIOGRAPHY AND 2014 ELECTION RESULT". Compare Infobase Limited. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
  3. C. B. Namchoom. "The saffron man, now playing the Jai Ho tune". eastern panorama. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
  4. "Fourteenth Lok Sabha: Members Bioprofile". Lok Sabha. Archived from the original on 29 May 2014. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
  5. "BJP's Rijiju defeats sitting MP Sanjoy in Arunachal West seat". Business Standard. Press Trust of India. 17 May 2014. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  6. "Constituencywise-All Candidates". ECI. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  7. "Kiren Rijiju: MoS of Home Affairs". New Delhi: IndiaToday.in. 26 May 2014. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
  8. "Sitting Arunachal MP Sanjoy exposes dishonesty of Congress-turned BJP candidate Rijiju". Business Standard India. 2 April 2014.
  9. "GENERAL ELECTION TO LOK SABHA TRENDS & RESULT 2014". ELECTION COMMISSION OF INDIA. 17 May 2014. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
  10. "Kiren Rijiju one of the 45 ministers in Modi's Team". Arunachal Chakma News. 26 May 2014. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
  11. "Rijiju offered CM position". The Economic Times. 4 March 2016.
  12. "Rohingyas to be deported, don't preach India on refugees: Kiren Rijiju - The Economic Times". The Economic Times. 28 September 2017. Archived from the original on 28 September 2017. Retrieved 29 September 2017.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
  13. "'Rohingyas to be deported, don't preach India on refugees', says Kiren Rijiju | The Indian Express". 29 September 2017. Archived from the original on 29 September 2017. Retrieved 29 September 2017.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
  14. "Tender public apology resign: APYB to Rijiju". Arunachal Observer. 16 February 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
  15. Uttam, Kumar (13 February 2017). "Kiren Rijiju does it again, says Hindu population reducing as they never convert". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
  16. "PM Modi allocates portfolios. Full list of new ministers", Live Mint, 31 May 2019
Lok Sabha
Preceded by
Jarbom Gamlin		 Member of Parliament
for Arunachal West
2004 – 2009		 Succeeded by
Takam Sanjoy
Preceded by
Takam Sanjoy		 Member of Parliament
for Arunachal West
2014 – Present		 Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by
Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore
Minister of State with
Independent charge		 Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports
Minister of State with
Independent charge
30 May 2019 – Present		 Incumbent
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