- Rohini Acharya unfollows RJD, Lalu, and Tejashwi Yadav on social media.
- Estrangement follows elder brother Tej Pratap Yadav’s earlier fallout.
- Sanjay Yadav, Tejashwi’s close aide, recently elevated to Rajya Sabha seat.
- Party insiders say Rohini eyed an assembly seat under Saran Lok Sabha constituency.
GG News Bureau
Patna, 22nd Sept: The rift within Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) patriarch Lalu Yadav’s family has resurfaced ahead of the Bihar assembly elections, raising questions about the Opposition’s unity. The latest flashpoint emerged when Lalu Yadav’s daughter, Rohini Acharya, unfollowed the party’s social media handles, as well as those of Lalu and Tejashwi Yadav, and made her account private.
Though the episode quickly passed, it underscores ongoing family tensions, particularly after the estrangement of elder son Tej Pratap Yadav. Party insiders attribute the fresh friction to the sudden rise of Sanjay Yadav, a close confidant of Tejashwi.
Sanjay Yadav, an MBA from Delhi University, had long operated behind the scenes, supporting Tejashwi during critical phases, including Lalu Yadav’s fodder scam conviction. Over the past decade, he managed seat-wise and district-wise data, party performance tracking, and social media strategy.
The dynamics changed dramatically when Sanjay Yadav was awarded a Rajya Sabha seat and publicly acknowledged as Tejashwi’s closest aide, akin to Ahmed Patel’s role with Sonia Gandhi in Congress. The elevation was reportedly a source of discomfort within the party and the family.
The tension escalated due to Tejashwi’s declaration that only one seat would be allotted per family. Rohini Acharya, eyeing a seat under the Saran Lok Sabha constituency, found her political ambitions curtailed. The controversy over Sanjay Yadav further intensified after he occupied Tejashwi Yadav’s usual seat on a bus during the Bihar Adhikar Yatra, prompting corrective arrangements by Tejashwi the following day.
Insiders note that while Tejashwi’s supporters argue that he should have free rein as Lalu’s heir, detractors raise concerns about his growing distance from traditional party functionaries, highlighting ongoing family and internal party tensions.
