Rohini Acharya sparked debate on Saturday after announcing her exit from politics and “disowning” her family — mere hours after the RJD posted an abysmal performance in the Bihar elections. The daughter of party supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav posted a cryptic message on social media blaming two close aides of her brother Tejashwi Yadav for the debacle. The incident comes mere months after the expulsion of Tej Pratap Yadav from the RJD.
“I am quitting politics and I am disowning my family. This is what Sanjay Yadav and Rameez had asked me to do, and I am taking all the blame,” she had written on X soon after the poll drubbing.
Acharya, who was in the news for donating a kidney to her father a few years ago, had unsuccessfully contested last year’s Lok Sabha polls from Saran. Leaders from the JD(U) also noted her efforts to save the life of Lalu Yadav while criticising the current situation.
“I don’t have a family. You should go and ask Tejashwi Yadav, Sanjay Yadav, and Rameez. They are the ones who threw me out of the family. The whole nation is asking why the party failed like this. When you name Sanjay Yadav and Rameez, you are thrown out of the house, disgraced, abused, and even hit with a chappal (slipper),” she told ANI.
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Acharya had campaigned for Tejashwi Yadav during the recent polls but reportedly remained ‘unhappy’ over the ouster of Tej Pratap. The eldest son of Lalu Prasad Yadav had been expelled from the party in May this year over “irresponsible behaviour” and failing to conform to probity and family values.
Who are ‘Sanjay Yadav and Rameez’?
Sanjay Yadav is a Rajya Sabha MP and one of the most trusted aides of Tejashwi Yadav. The two had met while the RJD heir apparent was playing for Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League. He had also worked extensively with the Samajwadi Party and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav. Sanjay joined the RJD in 2012 after becoming friends with Tejashwi and helped the party rise in Bihar.
Rameez is said to be an old friend of Tejashwi who hails from a political family in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh. According to an India Today copy Acharya may have been referring to Balrampur resident Rameez Nemat. He is the son-in-law of former Samajwadi Party strongman and ex-MP Rizwan Zaheer. Nemat has faced serious criminal charges in recent years — including murder accusations over the death of former Tulsipur Nagar Panchayat chairman Firoz ‘Pappu’ in 2022. |
