The RJD is the largest party in the Mahagathbandhan in Bihar. Infighting in its first family, especially involving siblings Rohini Acharya and Tej Pratap Yadav, may projects instability. Voters may see this as a sign of weak leadership or lack of internal control, the BJP and JD(U) are already using Rohini’s posts and Tej Pratap’s rebellion to attack Tejashwi’s leadership.
As Bihar heads into elections, cracks seem to have surfaced within the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)’s first family, revealing internal discord that could possibly impact the party’s performance and broader prospects of the Opposition-led mahagathbandhan (grand alliance). Though the party is trying to brush the family discord under the carpet, at the heart of the tension is the growing influence of Sanjay Yadav—political advisor to Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, RJD’s leader and Lalu Prasad Yadav’s younger son. The discontent spilled into public view when Lalu’s daughter, Rohini Acharya, unfollowed both her brother Tejashwi and Sanjay Yadav on X.
“I have fulfilled my duty and dharma as a daughter and a sister, and I will continue to do so. I have no desire for any position, nor do I have any political ambition. For me, my self-respect is supreme,” she wrote in a cryptic post, prompting widespread speculation about rifts within the party’s top leadership.
Earlier, Rohini had flagged a photograph showing Sanjay Yadav occupying the front seat in the party’s campaign van during the ‘Bihar Adhikar Yatra’ — a campaign tour led by Tejashwi that concluded last Saturday. She also reposted a social media comment criticising Sanjay’s prominent visibility at the rally, suggesting that the front seat in the yatra bus should be reserved for either Lalu Prasad or Tejashwi — and left vacant in their absence.
Rohini, who is Lalu Prasad’s second-eldest daughter and a kidney donor to her father in 2022, is seen as a figure of moral authority within the family. Her subtle but pointed posts have provided fodder for the RJD’s political rivals. Reacting to the online fracas, Lalu’s eldest son, Tej Pratap Yadav, came out in support of his sister. “Anyone who insults my sisters will face the Sudarshan Chakra of Lord Krishna.”
Tej Pratap Yadav — an MLA and former Bihar minister — has been a controversial figure within the RJD. He was recently expelled from the party following a row over a now-deleted Facebook post announcing a romantic relationship with a woman named Anushka Yadav. While he initially claimed his account had been hacked, he later defended his actions, stating, “No one would tolerate interference in their personal life.” In response to his expulsion, Tej Pratap launched his own political outfit,
Team Tej Pratap, and has begun announcing candidates for the upcoming elections.
Meanwhile, opposition Janata Dal (United) seized the opportunity to take on the rival with JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar remarked, “Rohini Acharya is a daughter who donated a kidney for her father. She has expressed her pain through a tweet. Now, Lalu Yadav, as the head of the family, it is your responsibility to decide who is at fault.”
In an apparent attempt to manage the optics around Sanjay Yadav’s role, the RJD moved to downplay his prominence by seating Dalit leaders — including Shiv Chandra Ram and Rekha Paswan — in the front seat of the yatra bus. Rohini acknowledged this saying “It has been the prime motto of Lalu Prasad’s socio-economic justice campaign to bring forward the deprived and people on the last rung of the social ladder. It is heartening to see people from these sections sitting in the front seat in these pictures.”
Whether these efforts will be enough to contain the family feud — and its fallout — remains to be seen. With the Opposition relying heavily on the RJD to deliver a strong performance in Bihar, the internal rift could have implications beyond just one party, affecting the broader fortunes of the mahagathbandhan in the run-up to the elections.
