India, June 15 -- Kiren Rijiju is a compelling figure in the Bharatiya Janata Party's ministerial team, seated in the row behind Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah on the Lok Sabha's Treasury benches.

Born on November 19, 1971, to Nishyi Tribe parents of Nakhu village in West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh, a four-time Lok Sabha member from Arunachal West, and one of the party's most visible faces from the North-East, he is now Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs.

His official biographical material states that he completed his schooling in Arunachal Pradesh, graduated from Hansraj College, University of Delhi, and earned a law degree from the Faculty of Law, University of Delhi. His...