Daijiworld Media Network - Patna

Patna, Jan 25: Ahead of the Rashtriya Janata Dal’s (RJD) national executive meeting in Patna, party patriarch Lalu Prasad Yadav’s daughter Rohini Acharya has launched a sharp attack on the party leadership, in an apparent dig at her brother and RJD’s face, Tejashwi Yadav.

Rohini, whose public fallout with Tejashwi after the Bihar Assembly elections had sparked widespread attention, said party leaders must introspect instead of avoiding questions and misbehaving with those raising concerns in the party’s interest.

In a post on X, she said that anyone who truly follows Lalu Yadav’s ideology and has worked selflessly for the party that claims to fight for the oppressed has every right to question those responsible for the party’s current situation.

Describing the present state of the RJD as “bitter and worrisome,” Rohini alleged that the party was now being controlled by “infiltrators and conspirators” sent by “fascist opponents” to dilute Lalu Yadav’s political ideology. She claimed that these elements had been successful to a large extent.

Without naming her brother, Rohini warned that those in charge should not evade questions or misbehave with people speaking in the party’s interest, adding that continued silence would indicate complicity with the alleged conspirators.

The rift between the siblings surfaced soon after the RJD’s crushing defeat in the Bihar Assembly elections in November. At the time, Rohini had announced that she was quitting politics and disowning her family, while targeting Tejashwi’s close aides Sanjay Yadav and Rameez Khan. Party insiders later claimed that a heated argument broke out between the siblings, with Tejashwi allegedly blaming Rohini for the electoral setback.

Meanwhile, the RJD has indicated that “crucial leadership decisions” could be taken at the ongoing national executive meeting. Sources said discussions may include the appointment of a “working national president.” Lalu Prasad Yadav has held the party’s top post since its formation in 1997 but is currently unwell, prompting calls for a second line of leadership.

While Tejashwi Yadav, the Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, remains the frontrunner, the recent electoral rout has brought sibling rivalry into sharper focus. Some party leaders have suggested the post could go to Misa Bharti, the eldest daughter of Lalu Prasad Yadav and Lok Sabha MP from Pataliputra.

A party leader said the issue was not a lack of trust in Tejashwi’s leadership but the need to counter the BJP-led NDA’s narrative that the RJD is a patriarchal party that sidelines women. He added that Rohini’s post-election outbursts had given political rivals, including the BJP and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JD(U), an opportunity to target Lalu Prasad Yadav over the treatment of his daughters.