Neiphiu Rio (born 11 November 1950) is an Indian politician who is the Chief Minister of Nagaland, an office he has held for five terms since 2003, longer than anyone else. A former Congress minister who broke with the party over the Naga political question, he has led regional parties in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party and has made a settlement of the decades-old Naga issue his stated aim.
Quick Facts
| Full name | Neiphiu Rio |
| Born | 11 November 1950, Tuophema, Kohima district, Nagaland |
| Age | 75 |
| State | Nagaland |
| Community | Angami Naga |
| Education | Sainik School, Purulia; St Joseph’s College, Darjeeling; Kohima Arts College |
| Offices | Chief Minister of Nagaland (2003–2014; since 2018); Member of the Lok Sabha (2014–2018) |
| Constituency | Northern Angami II |
| Spouse | Kaisa Rio |
| Children | 6 |
Early Life
He was born at Tuophema, a village north of Kohima, into the Angami tribe. He was educated at the Sainik School at Purulia in West Bengal, at St Joseph’s College in Darjeeling and at Kohima Arts College. He was active in student organisations.
Career
Congress years
He began in local and youth politics in the 1970s and was elected to the Nagaland assembly from Northern Angami II in 1989 as a Congress candidate. He held a series of ministries, among them sports, education, works and housing, and from 1998 was Home Minister in the government of S. C. Jamir.
The break
In 2002 he resigned from the government and the Congress, accusing the Chief Minister of obstructing a negotiated settlement of the Naga issue, the demand of Naga groups for recognition of their distinct history and for the bringing together of Naga-inhabited areas. He joined a regional party, which was renamed the Naga People’s Front, and formed an alliance with the BJP and others.
Chief Minister
The alliance defeated the Congress in 2003, ending its ten years in office, and he became Chief Minister on 6 March. His government was dismissed in January 2008 and President’s Rule imposed; he won the election that followed, and won again in 2013.
In 2014 he went to the Lok Sabha, hoping for a place in the Union government, and handed the state to a colleague. He returned in 2018 at the head of a newly formed Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party, again in partnership with the BJP, and became Chief Minister on 8 March 2018. The alliance was re-elected in 2023, and he was sworn in for a fifth term.
An opposition-less House
On several occasions all the parties in the Nagaland assembly have joined his government, leaving no opposition, with the declared purpose of speaking with one voice on the Naga political question.
The peace process
The Government of India signed a framework agreement with the largest Naga insurgent group in 2015 and an agreed position with other groups in 2017, but a final settlement has not followed. Rio has repeatedly urged both sides to conclude one. He has also pressed for the withdrawal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act from the state, especially after soldiers killed civilians at Oting in Mon district in December 2021.
Development
He is credited with promoting the Hornbill Festival, held each December near Kohima since 2000, which presents the culture of all the Naga tribes and has become the state’s chief attraction for visitors. His governments have built roads and sports facilities and promoted music as an industry.
Personal Life
He is married to Kaisa Rio; they have a son and five daughters. A brother, Zhaleo Rio, has been a legislator. He is a Baptist, like most Nagas, and is known for his calm manner and his skill at holding coalitions together.
Among the neighbouring states’ leaders are Conrad Sangma of Meghalaya and Lalduhoma of Mizoram.
Featured image: Neiphiu Rio, Chief Minister of Nagaland, in August 2024. Photo by the Prime Minister’s Office, licensed under Government Open Data License – India, via Wikimedia Commons.
