Who is Kiren Rijiju? Once a Saffron Man, BJP Candidate Seeks Fourth Term in Arunachal West

Kiren Rijiju is a three-time sitting Member of Parliament from the Arunachala East Lok Sabha constituency in the northeast. He has been a Cabinet Minister of Earth Sciences and Food Processing Industries since 2023. He previously held the positions of Minister of State for Home Affairs from 2014 to 2019, Minister of State for Minority Affairs from 2019 to 2021, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Sports and Youth Affairs from 2019 to 2021, and Minister of Law from 2021 to 2023.

Early Life, Education

Born on 19 November 1971 in the West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh to Rinchin Kharu and Chirai Rijiju, he completed his graduation from Hansraj College, Delhi University. Later, in 1998 he secured a degree in law from Campus Law Center, Faculty of Law from Delhi University. Rijiju’s father was the first pro-tem speaker, who gave oath to the Member for the first state legislative assembly.

He was a good athlete since his college days, and last year in February he was seen playing Football and Badminton and also took part in national games. He has been an active social worker since his school days, leading various social movements and serving as a 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 travelled extensively, visiting many countries in the Middle East, Europe, and the US as part of various Parliamentary delegations.

He served as a three-time MP in one of India’s largest Lok Sabha constituencies by area, Arunachal East. In 2009, he portrayed himself as 'The Man of the People' (MP) under the slogan 'New Change'. Kiran Rijiju was nominated to represent the Arunachal West constituency of Arunachal Pradesh in the 14th Lok Sabha. He has served as the National Secretary of the BJP. Rijiju's focus was not just on his role as an MP but on bringing about political change in the state, a sentiment embraced by many due to his 'New Change' slogan during his election campaign in 2009.

Rijiju has also landed in several controversies in the past, in 2022, he criticised the collegium system for appointing judges in the Indian judicial system, describing it as "opaque". He suggested that appointments were based more on personal connections than merit. He advocated for a greater role for the government in judge appointments and wrote to Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud expressing his views. His remarks on the judiciary and the collegium system were met with widespread criticism from the legal community and the Supreme Court.

In March 2023, Kiren accused certain retired judges of being part of an "Anti-India gang". This statement recieved criticism from a group of former civil servants, who viewed Rijiju's comments as a sign of 'authoritarianism'.

In the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in 2024, he will be battling against the former Arunachal Chief Minister Naba Tuki of Congress. The union minister has secured consecutive wins from this constituency in 2014 and 2019, having also represented it from 2004 to 2009. In the last election, he faced Tuki once again and emerged victorious by a significant margin.