Ahead of the Rashtriya Janata Dal's national executive meeting in Patna, party patriarch Lalu Prasad Yadav's daughter Rohini Acharya has fired a barb at her brother and the party's face, Tejashwi Yadav.
Acharya, whose conflict with Tejashwi Yadav after the Bihar polls made headlines, has said those in the leadership must introspect, instead of evading questions and misbehaving with people speaking in the party's interest.
"Whoever is a true Laluwadi, whoever has selflessly worked for the party that struggles for the oppressed, whoever wants to take Lalu Yadav's political legacy and ideology forward, will question those responsible for the party's current situation," she said in a post on X.
"The bitter and worrisome reality is that the party known to fight for the people's rights is now controlled by infiltrators and conspirators sent by Fascist opponents. They have been sent with the task to overturn Lalu Yadav's ideologies. And they appear to have been successful to a large extent," she said.
"Those in charge should not run away from questions and misbehave with those speaking about the party's interests. They should introspect, and if he remains silent, it would prove he is hand-in-glove with the conspirators," she said, without naming her brother.
Shortly after the RJD's big defeat in the Bihar Assembly polls in November, Rohini Acharya had said she was disowning her family and quitting politics. She had targeted Sanjay Yadav and Rameez Khan. key aides of her brother, Tejashwi. Party insiders said the poll results were followed by a heated argument between the siblings, with Tejashwi blaming Rohini for the poll drubbing and throwing his slippers at her.
The RJD has said "crucial leadership decisions" could be taken at today's meeting. Some say a decision may be taken on appointing a "working national president". Lalu Prasad Yadav has held the party chief post since its birth in 1997. The veteran leader is now ailing, and party sources feel a second line of leadership is required.
While the front-runner is Tejashwi Yadav, the Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly and Lalu Yadav's heir apparent, the Bihar polls rout has seen sibling rivalry come to the fore.
Some feel the post should go to Misa Bharti, the eldest daughter of Prasad and Lok Sabha MP from Pataliputra.
"It is not a question of lack of trust in Tejashwi Yadav's leadership. The fact is, the BJP-led NDA, our rival, has for long been trying to paint RJD as a patriarchal organisation in which women are denied their due," a party leader said.
"The outbursts of Rohini Acharya after the poll results have made matters worse. Just look at how all leaders of the BJP and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U) had latched on to the opportunity to accuse Lalu ji of giving a raw deal to his daughters," he said, according to a PTI report.
