PATNA: The ongoing conflict within RJD president Lalu Prasad’s family over Tejashwi Prasad Yadav’s close associate and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Yadav escalated further on Saturday with Rohini Acharya, who gained prominence after donating her kidney to her father in 2022, unfollowing him (Lalu), her brother, their party the RJD and other family members on the social media platform X.In another twist, Tejashwi’s estranged brother and former minister Tej Pratap Yadav came to Rohini’s defence on Saturday. “I grew up in her (Rohini’s) lap. What she has done is significant for any mother, sister or daughter. If anyone disrespects my sister, I will retaliate and not hesitate in using ‘Sudarshan Chakra’,” Tej Pratap said, adding, “Rohini is entirely on the right path.”Tensions between Tejashwi and his elder sister Rohini intensified a few days ago after she shared a post on a social media platform, supporting an RJD sympathiser, Alok Kumar, who opined that the front seat of Tejashwi’s rath (a specially designed bus) for the ‘Bihar Adhikar Yatra’ should be occupied by Tejashwi and not by Sanjay.
Poll
Do you think Rohini Acharya’s decision to unfollow her family members on social media is justified?
Tejashwi is currently on the Bihar Adhikar Yatra. The bus has been transformed into a chariot for the yatra with arrangements for Tejashwi to sit in the front. However, a photo went viral on social media showing Sanjay in that seat instead. The image sparked protests within the family and the party.One Alok Kumar, an RJD sympathizer, objected to the photograph, writing on a social media platform that the front seat is always reserved for the highest leader. “If someone considers themselves greater than the top leadership, it is a more serious matter,” he wrote.Rohini shared Alok’s post on her wall without any comment, further deepening the controversy.Earlier on Friday, Rohini had shared two back-to-back posts on social media, subtly expressing her displeasure over the ongoing tensions within the party and the family.In a strongly worded post, Rohini wrote, “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.”This followed an earlier post in which she indirectly expressed her discontent with Tejashwi’s associate Sanjay, hinting at internal power dynamics within the RJD. Her remarks have once again fuelled speculation about rifts in the party’s leadership structure.Reacting to her statements, JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar said on Saturday, “Rohini is a daughter who donated a kidney for her father. She has expressed her brother’s political pain through a social media post. Now, Lalu Prasad, as the head of the family, should decide whose grievance or internal pain is justified and who is at fault?”
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