A tense post-election review meeting triggered a heated clash between Tejashwi Yadav and his sister Rohini Acharya, exposing deep fractures within Bihar’s most influential political family.
The turmoil inside Lalu Prasad Yadav’s family reached a breaking point during a tense review meeting held just a day after the Bihar election results were announced. What unfolded in that room, sources say, triggered one of the most dramatic public fallouts the Yadav household has witnessed in years ultimately pushing Rohini Acharya to quit politics and renounce her own family.
The meeting, attended by the Yadav siblings and senior Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leaders, came after the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) swept the Bihar polls, leaving the RJD with one of its weakest mandates. According to insiders, emotions were already running high when Rohini raised concerns about protests by party workers targeting RJD MP Sanjay Yadav. She suggested that the leadership needed to intervene to pacify the cadre a comment that Tejashwi Yadav took as a personal criticism.
What followed was an explosive confrontation. Sources claim Tejashwi lashed out at his sister, accusing her of bringing misfortune to the party. “We lost the election because of you. We are cursed by you,” he allegedly shouted, before throwing a slipper at her and hurling insults leaving those present stunned.
That moment, insiders say, was the point of no return.
The next day, Rohini took to social media to announce her resignation from politics and her decision to distance herself from her family. She later publicly named Sanjay Yadav and Tejashwi’s close friend Rameez Nemat Khan as the people she believed were responsible for forcing her out. “This is what Sanjay Yadav asked me to do,” she said, reminding supporters that she had once donated a kidney to her father.
In the run-up to the election, Tejashwi had personally asked Rohini—who lives with her family in Singapore—to return and campaign for the party. He invited her to join him in Raghopur, the family’s traditional stronghold, even though this irritated his estranged brother, Tej Pratap Yadav. Rohini reportedly wanted to campaign across Saran district to project unity, but Tejashwi restricted her appearances to Raghopur alone.
The current crisis, however, did not erupt overnight. According to party sources, tensions had been simmering for several years.
In July 2023, ahead of the Lok Sabha election, Tejashwi urged Rohini to contest from Saran. She agreed only if their father approved. Lalu Yadav gave his consent, but Rohini preferred to contest from Pataliputra instead. Their sister, Misa Bharti, opposed the idea, leading Rohini reluctantly to contest from Saran. She eventually lost the election to BJP leader Rajiv Pratap Rudy.
Insiders say the family equation began deteriorating around this time. Allegedly, Sanjay Yadav repeatedly warned Tejashwi that Rohini could one day become a political threat to him, and at times, even insulted her, urging her to return to Singapore. Those close to Rohini claim certain factions within the party actively sabotaged her Saran campaign, including a family associate who wanted the seat for himself.
Adding to her frustration, two MLAs who had frequently taunted her about her Lok Sabha defeat were later granted RJD tickets for the assembly election.
Rameez Nemat Khan, the other individual Rohini publicly accused, has been Tejashwi’s close friend since their cricketing days and remains a central figure in his inner circle. RJD insiders say Khan plays a significant role in managing the party’s social media and campaign operations.
What began as a routine review of an election defeat has now spiralled into a full-blown family rupture one that has spilled into the public domain and exposed deep fractures within Bihar’s most influential political dynasty. Whether reconciliation is possible remains uncertain, but insiders fear the fallout may have lasting consequences for both the Yadav family and the political future of the RJD.
