Kiren Rijiju: Law minister fires on all cylinders

The minister's stock is rising in the BJP after he publicly clashed with the Supreme Court over judicial appointments

At the recent meeting of the BJP's National Executive Council, a conclave that set the tone for the party’s preparations for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, something unusual happened: Union law minister Kiren Rijiju moved the political resolution.

It was unusual as the role is usually given to prominent chief ministers, powerful Cabinet ministers and party leaders.

It was clear from the development that Rijiju's political stock was rising, and that the party was confident of entrusting the combative Arunachali leader with more responsibilities.

The 51-year-old from Nafra, Arunachal Pradesh, is currently making news over his running battle with the Supreme Court. And Rijiju has not been holding back in the duel, which has raised alarm in the Opposition over the government's intentions.

Read | Ex-SC judge Nariman slams Rijiju for 'diatribe' against collegium; says sitting on judges' names 'deadly' for democracy

As of now, the bespectacled Rijiju is having his moment in the sun.

Rijiju’s political career started in 2004 when he represented the West Arunachal Pradesh constituency, one of the state’s two seats, in the Lok Sabha under the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.

With a 90 per cent attendance, he was adjudged the “Best Parliamentarian”, earning praise from Vajpayee.

But as the UPA was voted to power subsequently, the next few years saw the three-term MP move to the Congress for a few years, before his “ghar wapsi” to the BJP. He contested on a BJP ticket in 2014 and won again.

Silchar Lok Sabha MP Rajdeep Roy said the law minister can read the public mood very well.

“In two decades of public life, he has been a very articulate politician, whether it is in the world of sports or law or when it comes to speaking about the prime minister’s goals. He is a strong communicator, and understands the public pulse very well, and has been spot on with party ideologies,” says Roy.

He adds that Rijiju is amiable with party colleagues and is open to suggestions, but assertive when he wants to get things done.

Rijiju has a degree in law from Delhi University but has no prominent practice to boast of, unlike his illustrious predecessors and heavyweights Ravi Shankar Prasad, Arun Jaitley, Sadanand Gowda, Kapil Sibal and Salman Khurshid.

Also Read: Judiciary-Centre tussle: Is the Narendra Modi government running with the hare and hunting with the hounds?

This raises an interesting question: did the government go with Rijiju because he could speak his mind as he is free of all the baggage; an outsider, so to speak?

A senior legal journalist, who did not wish to be named, said that Rijiju is seen as a “greenhorn” for the “crafty position” he’s occupying.

“The law minister needs to be diplomatic, persuasive and have a thorough knowledge of the subject they are dealing with. He is stepping on eggshells here,” the journalist noted.

The journalist made special mention of former CJI NV Ramana’s comments at a NALSA function in October 2021, where he commended the law minister’s dance moves.

In his former role as the minister of state in the sports ministry, Rijiju got along well with players. A notable development during his tenure was the handing out of Khel Ratna to as many as 11 players in a year when the norm was to award just a handful.

Yet, in this role, too, he clashed with the Indian Olympics Association chief Narinder Batra and publicly rebuked him. He is said to have confided in officials of the sports ministry that he misses his earlier stint.

Rijiju has had his share of controversies.

Also Read | Kiren Rijiju shares views of retired judge who says SC 'hijacked' Constitution by deciding to appoint judges

In 2015, after his party colleague Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said that there should be a beef ban, Rijiju grabbed eyeballs by claiming that as he hails from Arunachal, he eats beef and will never stop doing so. He later wriggled out of the row with a familiar words-taken-out-of-context excuse.

Party spokesperson Nikhil Anand lauded Rijiju as a micro-manager.

“It is very rare that a politician from the Northeast rises this far. It is commendable the way he has groomed himself, and through his achievements sends a strong message to the next generation,” says Anand.

A senior BJP leader from the Northeast says that Rijiju is a “smart and educated” politician whose rise in the party is “rare” for a politician from the Northeast, especially for someone who is neither Assamese nor Bengali.

In the past, leaders like PA Sangma, Santosh Dev Mohan and SC Jamir have found space in the Centre. The most prominent among them has been Sangma, who held the position of the Lok Sabha Speaker and was once a minister of state (home), a position that Rijiju held in the last Cabinet.

“His prowess in Hindi, the time he had spent in Delhi, and his intelligence – all worked for him,” the leader said.