New Delhi: A day after the RJD’s crushing defeat within the Bihar Meeting polls, Lalu Prasad’s daughter Rohini Acharya, who donated a kidney to her father just a few years in the past, introduced on social media that she was quitting politics and disowning her household. Considerably, Sanjay Yadav, a detailed aide of her brother Tejashwi Yadav, claimed to have requested her to take the step.
Sanjay, a Rajya Sabha member and a key political advisor to Tejashwi, has been within the highlight for the reason that starting of the election season, and criticism of him has solely intensified after the RJD’s crushing defeat. Beforehand, Lal’s eldest daughter and son had spoken out in opposition to him.
RJD sources mentioned Rohini blamed Sanjay for the celebration’s ballot defeat and rising discord inside Lalu’s household.
He additionally seems to have been focused by the political forces of Mr Lalu’s eldest son Tej Pratap Yadav hours after Friday’s election outcomes.
The Janshakti Janata Dal had on Fb accused ‘Jaichand’ of ruining the RJD, a remark that seems to have been directed at Sanjay. Jaichand was a Twelfth-century ruler of the Kannauj kingdom and is infamously remembered in folklore as a “traitor.”
A number of RJD leaders instructed ThePrint that Mr. Sanjay has turn into very near Mr. Tejashwi through the years and most main political choices are taken solely after his recommendation. In Bihar polls, Sanjay performed a key function in candidate choice and is alleged to have helped form the RJD’s disastrous electoral technique.
Additionally learn: Why Tejashwi Yadav failed — Bihar has modified however RJD has not.
Voices in opposition to Sanjay
When the RJD eliminated Tej Pratap Yadav from the celebration simply earlier than the meeting polls, he denounced his elimination as “Jaichand”, which seems to have been directed at Sanjay.
Lalu’s eldest daughter and Pataliputra Lok Sabha MP Misa Bharti has additionally opposed Lalu’s nomination as India’s prime minister in 2024.
Rohini had additionally earlier expressed her displeasure at Sanjay’s rising affect by sharing vital posts on X, following which she unfollowed Tejashwi and Lal. Whereas attacking the celebration trolls for defaming her, she wrote that she has no intention of contesting the meeting elections and successful any Rajya Sabha seats.
Through the distribution of ballot tickets final month, RJD chief Madan Shah had raised critical allegations in opposition to Mr. Sanjay and accused him of accepting massive quantities of cash for meeting ballot tickets. At former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi’s residence, Shah appeared to have tried to deal with the scenario throughout Sanjay’s go to. Shah chased the automobile, however a safety guard stopped him from coming into and escorted him away.
Later, Shah broke down in tears outdoors his house within the presence of members of the media. He began crying loudly, tore his kurta and rolled on the bottom in frustration. Angrily exploding, he repeatedly shouted, “I have been fooled, my tickets have been offered.” He immediately accused Sanjay of “promoting” the tickets.
“You possibly can think about the extent of Sanjay’s interference within the celebration as even necessary social media posts require his approval. Tejashwi even decides who will get interviewed. Sanjay additionally has a say in ticket distribution, as we name it in Hindi,” a former RJD MLA instructed ThePrint. And Vishwas (blind religion). That is the type of belief Tejashwi has in Sanjay. ”
On the day the ballot outcomes had been introduced, a video went viral on social media exhibiting Sanjay asking Tejashwi at an occasion: “Would you please invite the Bharatiya Janata Social gathering chief to the swearing-in ceremony?”
A number of RJD supporters have shared the clip to spotlight Sanjay’s overconfidence earlier than the elections.
Haryana man performing present in Bihar
Though Sanjay manages RJD’s political affairs in Bihar, he himself is from Haryana.
Social gathering sources mentioned Sanjay first met Tejashwi a few years in the past in 2010, when Tejashwi was attempting to affix the Delhi Daredevils cricket crew. Many RJD insiders imagine that SP chief Akhilesh Yadav launched Sanjay to Tejashwi at an occasion after the fodder rip-off prices had been leveled in opposition to Lalu in 2012, after which the 2 grew to become shut.
Sanjay give up his job in Delhi and moved to Patna to work with Tejashwi. He began by dealing with the RJD’s social media however inside just a few years grew to become Tejashwi’s key political strategist and advisor. Tejashwi even calls him a “thinker, information and sophistication trainer”.
Sanjay’s function elevated through the 2015 meeting elections when the RJD entered into an alliance with the JD(U). Though ballot strategist Prashant Kishore gained a lot of the public’s belief, celebration insiders say Sanjay suggested Tejashwi to offer extra tickets to higher caste candidates to widen the RJD’s assist base. This technique labored, and the RJD gained 80 seats within the elections, making it the most important celebration in Bihar.
When RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat proposed a overview of reservation throughout the identical election interval, Sanjay suggested Lal to strongly oppose the assertion.
An RJD official mentioned, “At some point, Sanjay introduced a newspaper clipping to Lalji that had Mohan Bhagwat’s assertion on it.I keep in mind that it was a information company report, however Sanjay instantly wrote an editorial in opposition to the BJP. Sensing a possibility to construct, Lalu did so (in opposition to the thought of reviewing reservations) in each rally, which helped the RJD and harm the BJP’s marketing campaign.
Within the 2020 meeting elections, Sanjay crafted the RJD’s total marketing campaign round unemployment and offered Tejashwi as a pacesetter who can result in change for Bihar’s youth. The promise of 1 million jobs attracted public consideration and even CM and JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar was compelled to announce the hiring of academics later. The RJD as soon as once more grew to become the only largest celebration, and Mr. Sanjay was praised for energizing celebration members with a contemporary marketing campaign.
His affect continued within the 2024 Sabah elections. Tejashwi was impressed by Akhilesh Yadav’s PDA (Pichule, Dalit, Arupsankyak) formulation and launched the Jan Biswas Yatra with the slogan ‘MY Baap’ representing Muslims, Yadavs, Bahujans, higher castes, girls and the poor.
Mr. Sanjay promoted the thought of widening the RJD’s base by bringing in Kushwaha voters into the celebration, which helped the celebration lose at the very least 4 seats to the NDA.
He’s seen as certainly one of Tejashwi’s closest allies, however many throughout the celebration accuse him of making divisions and sidelining senior leaders. Some RJD members even derisively check with him as a “gatekeeper”, the one who decides who will get to see Tejashwi and who will get an election ticket. They declare Mr Tejashwi doesn’t take main choices with out session.
As an alternative of sending a senior official, Tejashwi selected Sanjay for the Rajya Sabha seat in 2024, a transfer that additionally upset many within the celebration. Now, it’s no surprise that Sanjay is going through flak from all quarters after the RJD’s poor efficiency within the meeting polls.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
Additionally learn: A ten-point information to Bihar election outcomes: Lalu, Nitish and the BJP’s eagle eyes
