Inside the Lalu Yadav Family Conflict: How the Bihar Election Results Triggered a Political Fallout

Rohini Acharya claimed that Rameez Nemat Khan, a close friend of Tejashwi Yadav, instructed her to step away from politics.

Patna:

Sources reveal that the breaking point for Rohini Acharya, daughter of RJD chief Lalu Yadav, occurred during a post-election performance analysis meeting. Her brother, Tejashwi Yadav, reportedly made comments that deeply affected her, leading to her announcement the following day that she was abandoning politics and cutting ties with her family.

The Yadav siblings and other RJD leaders convened for a review meeting one day after the election results were announced, which showed the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) had convincingly won the Bihar election.

During this gathering, sources indicate a heated dispute erupted between Tejashwi Yadav and Rohini Acharya. She suggested addressing the protests by RJD workers against party MP Sanjay Yadav, a recommendation that apparently displeased her brother.

According to sources, Tejashwi Yadav told his sister, "We lost the election because of you. We are cursed by you." Reports suggest he then threw footwear at his elder sister and verbally insulted her.

On Saturday, Rohini Acharya specifically named Sanjay Yadav and Rameez Nemat Khan, her brother's friend from his cricket career, as the individuals responsible for forcing her out of the party.

"This is what Sanjay Yadav asked me to do," stated Acharya, who had previously donated a kidney to her father.

Prior to the election, sources say Tejashwi Yadav personally requested his sister to return from Singapore, where she had been residing with her family, to support the RJD campaign. He invited Rohini Acharya to campaign in Raghopur, a constituency previously held by their parents Lalu Yadav and Rabri Devi, from which he was contesting—much to the displeasure of his estranged brother Tej Pratap Yadav.

While Rohini Acharya wished to campaign across all assembly constituencies in Saran district to demonstrate family unity, her brother restricted her activities to Raghopur only, according to sources.

Sources suggest that the current situation has been developing for some time, pointing to numerous conflicts between the siblings in recent years as indicators of the impending breakdown.

In July 2023, before the Lok Sabha election, Tejashwi Yadav requested Rohini Acharya to contest from Saran, which she agreed to consider only with their father's approval. While Lalu Yadav gave his consent, Rohini Acharya preferred to contest from Pataliputra constituency instead of Saran.

Their sister, Misa Bharti, disapproved of Rohini Acharya's intention, so the daughter who had recently arrived from Singapore to campaign in India's heartland for her brother agreed to run from Saran despite her evident reluctance. She ultimately lost the election to BJP's Rajiv Pratap Rudy.

Sources indicate that the Yadav family dynamics remained relatively stable until approximately eighteen months before the 2024 general election. Tensions escalated after Sanjay Yadav began expressing concerns that Rohini Acharya could become a future threat to Tejashwi Yadav's political career.

Reportedly, Sanjay Yadav repeatedly asked her—sometimes disrespectfully—to abandon politics and return to Singapore.

Sources close to Rohini Acharya allege that certain elements within the party attempted to undermine her Saran campaign. One of the alleged conspirators, who desired to contest from Saran, is reportedly close to the Yadav family.

Another disappointment for Rohini Acharya occurred when two MLAs, who frequently reminded her of her Lok Sabha election defeat, received RJD tickets to contest the assembly election.

Rameez Nemat Khan, the other individual whom Rohini Acharya accused of contributing to her departure from the family and party, is a longtime friend of Tejashwi Yadav and a member of his inner circle. Their relationship extended from cricket to politics. According to RJD sources, Khan manages the social media and campaign teams for both his friend and the party.