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.
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"[according to whom?]. 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
- ^ "Kiren Rijiju, a youth leader from Arunachal Pradesh". Ibn Live. Press Trust of India. 26 May 2014. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
- ^ "KIREN RIJIJU BIOGRAPHY AND 2014 ELECTION RESULT". Compare Infobase Limited. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
- ^ a b c C. B. Namchoom. "The saffron man, now playing the Jai Ho tune". eastern panorama. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
- ^ a b "Fourteenth Lok Sabha: Members Bioprofile". Lok Sabha. Archived from the original on 29 May 2014. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
- ^ "BJP's Rijiju defeats sitting MP Sanjoy in Arunachal West seat". Business Standard. Press Trust of India. 17 May 2014. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
- ^ "Constituencywise-All Candidates". ECI. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
- ^ "Kiren Rijiju: MoS of Home Affairs". New Delhi: IndiaToday.in. 26 May 2014. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
- ^ "Sitting Arunachal MP Sanjoy exposes dishonesty of Congress-turned BJP candidate Rijiju". Business Standard India. 2 April 2014.
- ^ "GENERAL ELECTION TO LOK SABHA TRENDS & RESULT 2014". ELECTION COMMISSION OF INDIA. 17 May 2014. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
- ^ "Kiren Rijiju one of the 45 ministers in Modi's Team". Arunachal Chakma News. 26 May 2014. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
- ^ "Rijiju offered CM position". The Economic Times. 4 March 2016.
- ^ "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.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "'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.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Tender public apology resign: APYB to Rijiju". Arunachal Observer. 16 February 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
- ^ Uttam, Kumar (13 February 2017). "Kiren Rijiju does it again, says Hindu population reducing as they never convert". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
- ^ "PM Modi allocates portfolios. Full list of new ministers", Live Mint, 31 May 2019
External links
- 1971 births
- Living people
- Bharatiya Janata Party politicians from Arunachal Pradesh
- People from West Kameng district
- Indian Buddhists
- Faculty of Law, University of Delhi alumni
- Lok Sabha members from Arunachal Pradesh
- 14th Lok Sabha members
- 16th Lok Sabha members
- Union ministers of state of India
- Ministry of Home Affairs (India)
- Narendra Modi ministry
- 17th Lok Sabha members
- National Democratic Alliance candidates in the 2019 Indian general election