Rabri Devi
Rabri Devi Yadav (born 1 January 1955) is an Indian politician who formerly served 3 terms as the Chief Minister of Bihar, the first and only woman till date to have held the office. She is a Member (MLC) of Bihar Legislative Council and she currently serving as the Leader of the Opposition in Bihar Vidhan Parishad.
Rabri Devi Yadav | |
|---|---|
| Leader of Opposition in Bihar Vidhan Parishad | |
| Assumed office 14 Feb 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Hari Sahni |
| In office 13 Apr 2022 – 09 Aug 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Herself |
| Succeeded by | Samrat Chaudhary |
| In office 12 May 2018 – 23 Jun 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Sushil Modi |
| Succeeded by | Herself |
| Leader of Opposition in Bihar Vidhan Sabha | |
| In office 20 Nov 2005 – 23 Dec 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Upendra Kushwaha |
| Succeeded by | Abdul Bari Siddiqui |
| 21st Chief Minister of Bihar | |
| In office 11 Mar 2000 – 06 Mar 2005 | |
| Governor | • V. C. Pande • M R Jois • Ved Prakash Marwah (acting) • Buta Singh • Gopalkrishna Gandhi |
| Preceded by | Nitish Kumar |
| Succeeded by | President's rule |
| In office 09 Mar 1999 – 02 Mar 2000 | |
| Governor | Sunder Singh Bhandari |
| Preceded by | President's rule |
| Succeeded by | Nitish Kumar |
| In office 25 Jul 1997 – 11 Feb 1999 | |
| Governor | Akhlaqur Rahman Kidwai |
| Preceded by | Lalu Prasad Yadav |
| Succeeded by | President's rule |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1 January 1955 Salar Kalan village, Gopalganj, Bihar, India |
| Political party | Rashtriya Janata Dal |
| Spouse | |
| Relations | Tej Pratap Singh Yadav (son-in-law) Chiranjeev Rao (son-in-law) Sadhu Yadav (brother) Subhash Prasad Yadav (brother) |
| Children | 9 (including Tejashwi Yadav, Tej Pratap Yadav and Misa Bharti) |
| Parents |
|
| Residence | Patna |
| Website | rjd |
She is married to Indian politician Lalu Prasad Yadav, former Chief Minister of Bihar (1990-1997). Yadav previously served as a Member of Bihar Legislative Assembly (MLA) and she formerly served as the Leader of the Opposition in Bihar Vidhan Sabha.
Early life edit
Devi was born on 1 January 1955 in Salar Kalan village near Mirganj of Gopalganj district, Bihar. Her parents are Shiv Prasad Chaudhary and Maharjia Devi.[1] She is named after an Indian sweet as per a custom in her family. Her 3 sisters are similarly named Jalebi, Rasgulla and Paan.[2]
Prabhunath Yadav, Subhash Prasad Yadav and Sadhu Yadav are her three real brothers.
Political career edit
Devi became the first female Chief Minister of Bihar on 25 July 1997, after her husband, Lalu Prasad Yadav, was forced to resign following the arrest warrant issued against him in corruption charges relating to the Fodder scam ('Chaara Ghotala' , as known locally) She went on to rule the state till 2005.[3][4]
Devi was elected thrice to Bihar Vidhan Sabha from Raghopur seat. In 2010 Bihar Legislative Assembly election, Devi contested from two seats: Raghopur and Sonpur assembly seats, but lost both in an election where the Rashtriya Janata Dal faced defeat, winning only 22 seats.[5][6]
She contested from Saran in 2014 Lok Sabha election but lost to Rajiv Pratap Rudy of BJP.[7]
Criticism edit
Devi's appointment as the Chief Minister of Bihar is considered one of the most unexpected and awkward decisions[4] in Indian political history, as she was a traditional housewife and had no interest nor any prior experience in politics.[3] She came under severe satirical criticism and stiff opposition, because of her illiteracy[8][9] and inexperience.[10]
Personal life and family edit
Devi married Lalu Prasad Yadav on 1 June 1973 at the age of 17 years, in an arranged marriage, and they went on to have 7 daughters and then 2 sons. [11][12][13][14][15][16]
- eldest daughter: Misa Bharti
- 2nd daughter: Rohini Acharya Yadav
- 3rd daughter: Chanda Yadav
- 4th daughter: Ragini Yadav - married to Rahul Yadav, Samajwadi Party leader[17]
- 5th daughter: Hema Yadav
- 6th daughter: Anushka Yadav (Dhannu) - married to Chiranjeev Rao
- youngest daughter: Raj Lakshmi Yadav - married to Tej Pratap Singh Yadav
- elder son: Tej Pratap Yadav
- younger son: Tejashwi Yadav
Note: Rahul Yadav is son of Jitendra Yadav, former MLC from the Samajwadi Party. Jitendra is the nephew of former MP D. P. Yadav.
Positions held edit
Devi Yadav has been elected 3 times as MLA.
| # | From | To | Position | Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 2000 | 2005 | * MLA (1st term) from Raghopur (by-poll) * Chief Minister (3rd term) in Government of Bihar | RJD |
| 2. | Feb 2005 | Oct 2005 | MLA (2nd term) from Raghopur | RJD |
| 3. | 2005 | 2010 | * MLA (3rd term) from Raghopur * Leader of Opposition in Bihar Legislative Assembly | RJD |
| 4. | 2012 | 2018 | MLC (2nd term) in Bihar Legislative Council | RJD |
| 5. | 2018 | Present | MLC (3rd term) in Bihar Legislative Council | RJD |
References edit
- ^ "Rabri Devi: Age, Biography, Education, Husband, Caste, Net Worth & More - Oneindia". OneIndia.
- ^ Akbar, M. J. (19 April 2004). "M. J. Akbar: Laloo steals Congress seats in Bihar for sweet Rabri". Gulf News.
- ^ a b Ahmed, Farz (11 August 1997). "Dragged from the kitchen to Bihar Assembly, Rabri Devi learns politics fast : Cover Story - India Today". India Today. from the original on 27 March 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
- ^ a b Mishra, Dipak (17 February 2017). . The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 27 March 2017. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
- ^ "RJD Mobbed: Rabri Devi Loses Both Her Seats". from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
- ^ "Rabri loses in both seats". The Hindu. 24 November 2010.
- ^ Vaibhav, Aditya (17 May 2014). "Election results 2014: JD(U), RJD decimated in Bihar". The Times of India. TNN. from the original on 31 May 2014. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
- ^ "rediff.com: The Rediff Interview/ Rabri Devi". Rediff.com. from the original on 14 November 2005. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
- ^ "Profile: Laloo to the Prasad Yadav". BBC. 18 December 2006. from the original on 22 February 2007. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
- ^ "rediff.com: The Rediff Interview/ Rabri Devi". Rediff.com. from the original on 24 August 2005. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
- ^ "Lalu paid off a debt to his wife handsomely". DNA. 19 November 2013.
- ^ Thakurta, Paranjoy Guha (8 May 2004). "The durability of Laloo Prasad Yadav". Business Line. from the original on 8 October 2012. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
- ^ "Sons in Bihar cabinet, daughters wed to Mulayam kin - sprawling Lalu family tree spans party lines". The Print. 24 August 2022.
- ^ . Hindustan Times. 7 February 2005. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007.
- ^ "Rabri vividly recalls how she had boarded a steamer at Pahleja Ghat in Sonepur (Chapra) to reach the Patna residence soon after her marriage on March 18, 1974 when curfew had been imposed all over the district". from the original on 24 December 2017. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
- ^ Thakur, Sankarshan (27 March 2014). . The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 14 June 2014. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
- ^ "Lalu's Swiss-educated son-in-law hops on Samajwadi cycle, chants growth mantra". Hindustan Times. 7 February 2017.