RJD in turmoil, Rohini Acharya’s exit adds to growing Yadav family split
In a dramatic turn that underscores the widening fissures within the Lalu Prasad’s family and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Rohini Acharya daughter of party chief Lalu Prasad on Saturday announced that she was “quitting politics” and “disowning” her family. Her abrupt declaration comes just a day after the RJD suffered a crushing defeat in the Bihar assembly elections, plunging the party into deeper introspection and internal strain.
Acharya, a doctor who later chose to be a homemaker and now lives with her Singapore-based husband, posted a cryptic message on X, blaming two close associates of Tejashwi Yadav Rajya Sabha, MP Sanjay Yadav and his longtime friend Rameez for pushing her to take this step. Neither has commented publicly on the allegations.
Her decision has added a new layer of discord to a family already marked by political rifts. Lalu Prasad’s sons Tejashwi Yadav and Tej Pratap Yadav have long displayed differences, both personal and political, culminating in Tej Pratap’s expulsion from the RJD, a move that had reportedly left Rohini “unhappy.” Although she ultimately campaigned for Tejashwi during the assembly race, the tensions within the family were far from resolved.
The split between the brothers has been one of Bihar politics’ most scrutinised storylines, with Tejashwi emerging as the RJD’s undisputed face while Tej Pratap broke away to form his own outfit, the Janshakti Janata Dal, frequently rebelling and publicly questioning the party leadership. Now, Rohini’s decision to distance herself from both politics and family underscores the emotional and political cost of this deepening rift.
Rohini Acharya had garnered national attention years ago for donating a kidney to her father. She later contested the Saran Lok Sabha seat but lost. Her unexpected announcement on Saturday has triggered widespread speculation about internal pressures within the RJD at a time when the party is confronting one of its steepest electoral setbacks, its tally plummeting from 75 seats to just 24.
The National Democratic Alliance’s sweeping victory, with the BJP and JD(U) securing an overwhelming majority, has not only reshaped the political landscape of Bihar but has intensified the crisis within the RJD and its founding family.
With one brother expelled, the other under pressure, and now their sister publicly walking away, the Lalu Prasad family, once the core of a united political powerhouse, finds itself more fractured than ever. The turmoil lays bare how political battles have spilled over into personal relationships, leaving behind a family struggling to stay intact.