‘Tejashwi so unpopular in family, made Rohini scapegoat for defeat’: NDA leaders on Lalu Yadav family feud

As the Mahagathbandhan suffered a crushing defeat in the Bihar Assembly polls, the feud in RJD chief Lalu Prasad’s family intensified further with his daughter Rohini Acharya announcing her decision to quit politics after being subjected to “filthy abuses” within the family. His decision sparked criticism from many NDA leaders who held Tejashwi Yadav and his close aides primarily responsible for the worsening situation.

BJP leader Nitin Nabin, who also won in the Bankipur Assembly, said: “This is a family issue, but the way Lalu Yadav has brought his entire family into politics is a bad outcome. Tejashwi Yadav has become so unpopular in his own family that how can you think he can take things forward in the society? Tejashwi Yadav should come forward and answer.”

While Bihar Minister Ashok Chaudhary termed this development as “unfortunate”, he described it as an “internal matter” of the family.
“It is not right to make political comments on this issue. This is unfortunate for the RJD. It is not right for such a situation to arise in such a big family. The situation is not good. This is very sad,” he said.

Rohini Acharya’s decision to step away from politics triggered harsh reactions and speculations in Bihar’s political circles; This decision comes at a time when the RJD was performing poorly in the Bihar assembly polls and was able to secure only 25 seats despite contesting more than 140 seats in the 243-member state assembly.

Meanwhile, Rohini Acharya, daughter of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) patriarch Lalu Prasad Yadav, on Sunday echoed the pain of a wronged woman, claiming that she was humiliated, abused and threatened by her family members. He started a firestorm with explosive social media posts describing the pain of being ostracized and made to feel worthless and the burden he carries.BJP MP Jagdambika Pal, Rohini’s Acharya, was declared a “scapegoat” for the party’s crushing defeat in the Bihar elections.

“This is their family matter. This (election results) was Tejashwi Yadav’s responsibility, but his deputy Sanjay Yadav told Rohini to take responsibility. And if her sister is asked to take responsibility for this defeat, how painfully has she taken this responsibility? That is why she is talking about retiring from politics, even moving away from her family. If they cannot take care of their family, how will they take care of society?”

BJP leader Dr Guru Prakash Paswan said the incident reflected an internal crisis within the RJD.

“This is his family’s internal matter. But if one is involved in politics or social life, nothing remains private; everything becomes public. The way political questions were raised, first by Tej Pratap Yadav and then by Rohini Acharya, someone has to take responsibility for the defeat. Lalu Prasad Yadav has a long political career. He claims to represent the so-called socially disadvantaged. But as the clouds of an existential crisis loom over him after the election results, I firmly believe in his party charting its own course.” “It is necessary,” he said.

However, there is no response yet from RJD or Yadav family members regarding Rohini’s allegations.

The comments come at a time when political developments in Bihar have come to public attention with the ruling NDA securing 202 seats with a three-fourth majority in the 243-member Assembly.