After poll debacle, Lalu family splits; Rohini’s allegations shake RJD

The crushing defeat suffered by the RJD in the Bihar Assembly elections has now exposed deepening internal conflict within Lalu Prasad Yadav’s family, casting a shadow over the party’s future.

Lalu’s daughter Rohini Acharya “quit politics, disowned her family”, and returned to Singapore late on Saturday, alleging that she was abused for questioning the reasons behind the party’s debacle. Before leaving Patna, she launched a sharp attack on the RJD’s de facto chief Tejashwi Yadav and his trusted aides Sanjay Yadav and Rameez Nemat Khan.

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“The entire party is asking why we lost. But people like Sanjay and Rameez are avoiding the questions. If he (Sanjay Yadav) wants to be Chanakya, then it is Chanakya who will have to face the questions,” she said.

Later, speaking to the media at Patna Airport, Rohini said, “I no longer have a family. Ask Sanjay Yadav, Rameez, and Tejashwi… They removed me from the family because they don’t want to take responsibility for the loss. If I take the names of Sanjay and Rameez, I get thrown out of the house, insulted, and beaten with slippers…”

Rohini’s grouses were not only against Sanjay Yadav and Rameez Nemat Khan but also against Tejashwi’s silence. When she raised questions about Sanjay Yadav’s alleged conspiracies, interference in the family, discrimination in seat selection, and the growing influence of outsiders in the RJD, Tejashwi Yadav did not comment publicly.

After Rohini’s departure, her sisters Rajlakshmi, Ragini, and Chanda also left for Delhi with their children, further highlighting rising tensions within the RJD chief’s family.

Tej Pratap Yadav, who was earlier sidelined by both the RJD and the family, came out openly in support of Rohini Acharya, saying, “Whoever insults our sister will face Krishna’s Sudarshan Chakra.”

“Where she (Rohini Acharya) stands, she is absolutely right. As a woman, a mother, a sister, what she has done is something hardly any daughter or mother could do. She will always be remembered. Her name will be written in golden letters in the pages of history,” he added.

Supporters as well as political adversaries of the Lalu family are stunned by Rohini’s statements.

LJP (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan refrained from commenting on the controversy, saying, “We certainly have political differences, but I have always considered Lalu Prasad Yadav’s family as my own… I pray that this family dispute is resolved as soon as possible.”

Bihar BJP President Dilip Jaiswal said, “I request Lalu Yadav and Rabri Devi to save their family from breaking apart.”

JDU spokesperson Neeraj Kumar said, “Rohini Acharya is a daughter who saved her father’s life. A daughter is considered the Lakshmi of the home. Insulting her has never been part of our tradition. This is their internal matter, but it is concerning.”

Political observers see this turmoil as a reflection of the weakness of the Lalu family’s “dynastic politics.” The family has long been at the centre of Bihar’s political landscape, and the internal conflict has further weakened the RJD.

As the Lalu family appears divided into two factions, Lalu Yadav’s silence raises a larger question: Is this merely the disintegration of a family, or of the RJD as well?

Maybe she will take her flight to Singapore from Mumbai. Beter replace Singapore with Mumbai.