New Delhi: Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju has been the controversy’s favourite child from the very beginning of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre.
Recently, post-Ramjas College fracas, he was in the news for asking who was “polluting” Gurmehar Kaur’s – Lady Shri Ram College student who took on ABVP on social media – mind.
In a no-holds-barred interview to CNN-News18’s Arunima, Rijiju clears the air, and most of the controversies his remarks have generated in the past few years. Here are the excerpts:
Question (Q): Have you become more vocal after becoming a minister?
Answer (A): You have to understand your responsibility… if I am not a minister, can I act as a minister? I have to secure the nation
Q: But things like speaking out on this nationalism debate, your other collegues are not as vocal as you.
A: Which other colleagues?
Q: Like Rajnath, Hansraj Ahir, and even ministers on the defence ministry side?
A: I am what I am speaking out. I have always been like that. You see all my speeches when I was in the opposition. You will realize I was more vocal then. I was more nationalist in terms of being more vocal when I was an opposition MP. I speak less now because I am a minister.
Q: Is it fair to say that Kiren Rijiju has become the new Sakshi Maharaj of BJP?
A: In what terms?
Q: In the sense that earlier every time you would think of a BJP MP who would go all out in speaking about the national flag, or the jawans or national pride or nationalism, we would think of a Yogi Adityanath or a Sakshi Maharaj, now we think of Kiren Rijiju?
A: No no… I am not talking of religious things. Do you think I am speaking of something to do with religion?
Q: Yes that is true, you are not. I remember you said in that Shekhar Gupta interview that you don’t generate controversy, you say what you feel and controversy is generated.
A: I don’t generate controversy for myself. I speak my heart out. I speak clearly. I speak the truth. I speak out my mind. When you don’t speak, people will not judge. But when you speak, people debate, discuss, dissent. I would want complete openness, discussion and dissent. For democracy to thrive there should be these three.
Q: Your wife is from lady Shri Ram College. So when you spoke about Gurmehar Kaur, who is also an LSR student, was there a discussion at
home?
A: I never spoke about the young girl.
Q: But you did say that her mind is being polluted. Who is polluting her mind, you asked?
A: Yeah… I am talking of the left.
Q: But you are also saying that the girl is not acting on her own.
A: That’s right, but I am not talking about the girl herself, I am talking about those... There are some people who are trying to influence her.
Q: But sir, you are saying that she is not capable of thinking for herself?
A: You mean to say that people get knowledge from birth itself?
Q: She is twenty…
A: So she has been influenced. You don’t get knowledge from birth.
Q: Was there any discussion at home?
A: I didn’t discuss this. Why will I discuss a twenty-year-old student? We discussed the left politics
(Later, Rjiju says, “My wife asked me, ‘why are you talking about this student?’”
I don’t know why some people in the media have so much fascination about anti-India slogans or those who raise slogans against India. Does this make quality news?
Q: Do you think anti-national slogans, or coverage of such slogans has gone up in your government?
A: Yes, because there is no other way to stay relevant. They have been voted out. The only way to come back to relevance is to disrupt.
Q: So, you see a conspiracy?
A: Conspiracy by the leftists.
Q: Conspiracy by the Leftists and Congress Party alike or just the leftists?
A: Congress is a party which has no ideology. They will try to make their presence felt by jumping onto the bandwagon… By joining nay protests. This is not a battle between Congress and BJP. It is a battle between far leftists and the nationalists.
Q: And you have positioned yourself on the nationalist side of the divide?
A: I am born nationalist. I was born in the border area. I have been raised in a particular way. I am a born nationalist. That is my mindset. Our home town and villages were under Chinese occupation for sometime in 1962 war. So we have been brought up in a particular manner.
Q: Coming back to congress. You have been attacking them on social media and other platforms like no other leader…
A: (Interjects) because they attacked me before the parliament session on that power scam. The power project was started by the Congress-led government. Everything was done by Congress government. In my time, some panchayat leaders came to me for some recommendations and Congress targeted me
Q: Is that the only reason why…
A: Yes.
Q: Only reason why you are so upset with Congress?
A: When they targeted me, that time I had declared that I will hit back.
Q: Your critics will point out that in 2009, you resigned from BJP, went and joined Congress.
A: Where is the proof? There is a process to join Congress party. There is a membership (form) where is the proof?
Q: But did you make a comment after resigning from BJP that you had some kind of an arrangement with Congress?
A: It was a political understanding with the chief minister.
Q: Mr. Khandu?
A: yes.
Q: Can you elaborate what this understanding was?
A: The BJP MLAs were supported by Mr. Khandu.
Q: And you became the political advisor to the chief minster?
A: I did not accept it. The only return favour I took was that the CM supported the BJP MLAs.
Q: So you were never in any capacity advising Dorji Khandu?
A: He appointed me but I refused.
Q: So in between 2009 and 2012-13…
A: (Interjects) why are we discussing this when I didn’t join Congress?
Q: Because your critics are attacking you
A: When I have not joined Congress party, where is the question?
Q: So you were with no party between 2009 and 2012?
A: I was taking a break.
Q: There is a Shilong Times report that I am quoting where you are quoted to have said that BJP can’t do much from Arunachal Pradesh.
A: It was that time. If you are not in power what can you do? For economic development, you need to be in power. If you are in opposition, you can fight but you cannot grant, you cannot do.
Q: How is your relationship with Congress party in Arunachal Pradesh now?
A: Where is Congress party now? They are finished. All of them have joined BJP.
Q: Ninong Erring?
A: He is the only one left now.
Q: Is he a good friend?
A: I have no enmity with anybody.
Q: I want to bring to your notice the first controversy you generated as a minister which was on beef. Why did you have to clarify that you and your family don’t eat beef?
A: Who made that comment?
Q: You first said that everyone is free to eat what they want and then clarified that you don’t eat beef
A: So? Where is the U-turn?
Q: Were you forced to clarify?
A: No who has clarified?
Q: Didn’t you say, “I and my family don’t eat beef?”
A: Yes. So, it is a factual statement.
Q: But why did you have to make that statement? What you eat is your business.
A: I have not taken any U-turn, neither have I tried to justify anything.
Q: Did newspapers misquote you? Because they said Mr. Rijiju has said that beef eating is a way of life in Arunachal Pradesh.
A: It is a reality… I am not saying anything which is not true.
Q: After that newspaper report, you were quoted as saying beef eating may be a reality in Arunachal Pradesh, but my family and I.
A: It is not a statement. It is a fact.
Q: If you were not in BJP, would you still have to say this?
A: I did not say it… It is the media who said it. I did not make this comment for media. Some local people asked me and media picked up my reply and made it news.
Q: Just to clarify the context… in what context was this comment made to local people in AP?
A: The local people, some press people were there and they asked that some minister has commented that if you eat beef you have to go to Pakistan.
So I said no… You have the freedom under the constitution of India. I gave no example that if I eat beef, or if anyone eats beef in your locality or in your own community, that is your freedom. But don’t eat beef or slaughter an animal in an area where deep sentiments are attached. In India, each locality has its own food habit etc. Yes… this is no controversy, media blew up the story... I did not make it.
Q: Is it an irony that you, a Buddhist, has become a face of a Hindu nationalist party as BJP is known as?
A: No. I am not making any religious comments here. Is there any religious connotation to what I say? I speak as a nationalist. I am a nationalist.
Q: Have you always been this agitated about… like in school, college or law faculty, did you get this agitated on questions of nation? Or is this a recent phenomenon because of the times that we live in?
A: No no… earlier, I used to get agitated much more. I used to get more agitated if I saw any one saying anything against India. But now after becoming a minister I don’t speak as much. Earlier, I used to… if anyone in my village or school said anything against India, we used to thrash that person. Here people are not very touchy about it but in north east they are. If you say anything anti-India in our place, in Arunachal, people get very upset.
Q: One more criticism that I heard was that Mr. Rijiju, in person, is very easy going, he is a good man, someone said… but to rise in the party, he is being forced to say so much on social media. They are saying, in BJP, if you don’t show yourself as an ultra-nationalist, you cannot rise.
A: Who said so?
Q: I cannot name the person
A: They don’t know my strength. They don’t know how much people in Arunachal love me. Those who don’t have grassroots support will say such things. I have come thus far on the basis of love and affection of people of Arunachal, my party and my prime minister.
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