Patna (Bihar) [India], November 16 : As Mahagathbandhan suffered a crushing defeat in the Bihar Assembly polls, the feud in the family of RJD's supremo Lalu Prasad intensified with his daughter Rohini Acharya announcing her decision to quit politics after being subjected to "filthy abuses" in the family. Her decision has drawn criticism from several NDA leaders, who have held mainly Tejashwi Yadav and his close aides responsible for the worsening situation.
BJP leader Nitin Nabin, who also registered victory from Bankipur Assembly, said, "It's a family matter, but the way Lalu Yadav has brought his entire family into politics is a bad outcome. Tejashwi Yadav has become so unpopular in his own family, so how can you think he will be able to move things forward in society? Tejashwi Yadav should come forward and answer."
Bihar Minister Ashok Chaudhary termed the development "unfortunate" while calling it an "internal matter" of the family.
"It is not appropriate to make political comments on this. This is unfortunate for RJD. It is not right for such a situation to arise in such a big family. The situation is not good. This is very sad," he said.
Rohini Acharya's decision to step away from politics has triggered sharp reactions and speculation within Bihar's political circles, coming at a time when the RJD performed poorly in the Bihar assembly polls, securing just 25 seats despite contesting on more than 140 seats in the 243-member state assembly.
Meanwhile, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) patriarch Lalu Prasad Yadav's daughter Rohini Acharya on Sunday echoed the pain of a woman wronged, alleging that she was humiliated, abused, and threatened by her family members.
She sparked a firestorm with her explosive social media posts explaining the pain of being ostracised, of being made to feel worthless, the burden she carries.
BJP MP Jagdambika Pal alleged that Rohini Acharya was made a "scapegoat" for the party's crushing defeat in the Bihar polls.
"It is their family matter. It (election results) was the responsibility of Tejashwi Yadav, but his aide, Sanjay Yadav, told Rohini to take responsibility. And if his sister was asked to take responsibility for that defeat, how painfully did she take that responsibility? That's why she is talking about retiring from politics, even distancing herself from her family. If they can't take care of their family, how will they take care of society?"
BJP leader Dr Guru Prakash Paswan said the episode reflected an internal crisis within the RJD.
"This is an internal matter of his family. However, if someone is involved in politics or social life, nothing remains private; everything becomes public. The way political questions are raised, first by Tej Pratap Yadav and then by Rohini Acharya, someone must take responsibility for the defeat. Lalu Prasad Yadav has had a long political career. He claims to represent the so-called socially disadvantaged. Yet, with the clouds of an existential crisis looming over him following election results, I believe his party definitely needs to determine its own course," he said.
However, there has been no immediate response from the RJD or members of the Yadav family regarding Rohini's allegations.
The comments come at a time when political developments in Bihar are drawing heightened public attention, as the ruling NDA got 202 seats, a three-fourths majority in the 243-member House.