In fresh trouble for the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Sadhu Yadav, brother of party chief Lalu Prasad’s wife Rabri Devi, announced on Tuesday that he would contest against his sister from the Saran Lok Sabha constituency as an Independent candidate.
Mr. Sadhu Yadav, who was expelled from the Congress last year for anti-party activities, said he was not contesting against his sister. “Rabri Devi is not a factor in Saran. She and the RJD have lost touch with the people there. Laluji has not done any development work. He is jealous of my development work. He has misled people. In the past, he has made every effort to scuttle my electoral prospects,” he told The Hindu .
This is Rabri Devi’s first Lok Sabha election and her brother’s entry may upset her key vote base of Yadavs. BJP leader Rajiv Pratap Rudy is also a candidate from Saran.
Mr. Prasad downplayed the threat from Mr. Yadav saying, “I do not care about these things. Votes will not split.”
Mr. Prasad’s daughter Misa Bharti, who filed her nomination papers from Patliputra on Tuesday, refused to react to her uncle’s challenge saying she would wait for a confirmation of the announcement.
Ms. Bharti, who is contesting against RJD rebel Ram Kripal Yadav whom she calls chacha (uncle), said: “Political contests and personal relations have their separate place. It’s a truth that there is no ‘mama’ [Sadhu Yadav] or ‘chacha’ [Ram Kripal] in politics. When they fight, it won’t be a family contest. They are going to fight like political candidates.”
On the challenge of facing a seasoned politician like Mr. Ram Kripal Yadav, Ms. Bharti said, “He is experienced, but he was in our party and I know his strengths and weaknesses. There is no dearth of experienced leaders in our party. I am getting a lot of support from the people of Patliputra. I am 200 per cent sure of my victory. The sitting MP (Ranjan Prasad Yadav of the Janata Dal (United)) has not done any work in the constituency. People hardly know him. My contest is against the BJP.”
Refuting the charge of being a beneficiary of dynastic politics, she said: “I have definitely inherited my family’s legacy. However, it is not a legacy of power. It is a legacy of struggle …”
