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Rabri Devi

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Rabri Devi
Chief Minister of Bihar
In office
11 March 2000 – 6 March 2005
Preceded byNitish Kumar
Succeeded byPresident's rule
In office
9 March 1999 – 2 March 2000
Preceded byPresident's rule
Succeeded byNitish Kumar
In office
25 July 1997 – 11 February 1999
Preceded byLalu Prasad Yadav
Succeeded byPresident's rule
Leader of Opposition in Bihar Legislative Council
Incumbent
Assumed office
12 May 2018
Personal details
Born1956
Gopalganj, Bihar, India
Political partyRJD
SpouseLalu Prasad Yadav
RelationsTejashwi Yadav (Son)
Tej Pratap Yadav (Son)
Misa Bharti (Daughter)
Rajlaxmi Yadav (Daughter)
Tej Pratap Singh Yadav (Son-in-law)
Chiranjeev Rao (Son-in-law)
Sadhu Yadav (brother)
ResidencePatna

Rabri Devi Yadav (born 1956) is an Indian politician from the state of Bihar. She is a Member of the Legislative Council for Bihar Vidhan Parishad who has served three terms as the Chief Minister of Bihar, as a member of the Rashtriya Janata Dal political party, between 1997 and 2005. She is the wife of the Indian politician Lalu Prasad Yadav, former Chief Minister of Bihar and former Railway Minister of India. She is the current Leader of Opposition in Bihar Legislative Council.

Political career

Devi's appointment as the Chief Minister of Bihar was considered as one of the most unexpected and awkward decisions[1] in the entire Indian political history because she was a traditional housewife and had no interest nor any prior experience in politics until then.[2] The move fitted well with the needs of the government in power at the time as Lalu Prasad Yadav had to quit as the Chief Minister of Bihar after the Fodder scam was revealed, but he was alleged to have been controlling the affairs by giving his wife the coveted post of the head of the state government.[3] It was alleged that he continued to act and administer as a de facto chief minister with his wife being a ceremonial head.[2][1]

She became the first woman Chief Minister of Bihar on 25 July 1997 after her husband Lalu Prasad Yadav had to resign as the Chief Minister following the arrest warrant issued against him in corruption charges; in an unprecedented move, he appointed Rabri Devi as the new Bihar Chief Minister to hold onto power.[4] In Bihar Legislative Assembly election, 2010, Rabri Devi contested on two seats: Raghopur and Sonpur assembly seats, but lost both while Rashtriya Janata Dal faced massive defeat, winning only 22 seats.[5][6]

She contested from Saran constituency in 2014 Loksabha election but lost.[7]

Criticism

The appointment of Rabri Devi as the Chief Minister of Bihar came under severe satirical criticism and stiff opposition, because she was illiterate[8][9] and had little experience or interest in politics.[10]

Personal life

Rabri Devi married Lalu Prasad Yadav in 1973[4][11] at the age of 17 and has nine children, seven girls and two boys.[12] Her younger son Tejashwi Yadav served as the 4th Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar and at 26 years, was the youngest to hold the coveted office until the current Chief Minister of Bihar Nitish Kumar resigned from the post as Tejaswi refused to resign owing to corruption charges against him.

References

  1. ^ a b Mishra, Dipak (17 February 2017). "Proxy rule lessons from Bihar". The Telegraph. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
  2. ^ 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. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
  3. ^ Dasgupta, Swapan (4 August 1997). "Laloo Prasad Yadav mocks democracy by appointing wife Rabri Devi as successor : Cover Story - India Today". India Today. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  4. ^ a b "Rabri Devi". Hindustan Times. 7 February 2005. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007.
  5. ^ "RJD Mobbed: Rabri Devi Loses Both Her Seats".
  6. ^ "Rabri loses in both seats".
  7. ^ Vaibhav, Aditya (17 May 2014). "Election results 2014: JD(U), RJD decimated in Bihar". The Times of India. TNN. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
  8. ^ "rediff.com: The Rediff Interview/ Rabri Devi". www.rediff.com. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  9. ^ "Profile: Laloo to the Prasad Yadav". BBC. 18 December 2006. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  10. ^ "rediff.com: The Rediff Interview/ Rabri Devi". www.rediff.com. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  11. ^ "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".
  12. ^ Thakur, Sankarshan (27 March 2014). "A sibling swing at succession". The Telegraph. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
Preceded by Chief Minister of Bihar
1997—1999 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Chief Minister of Bihar
1999—2000 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Chief Minister of Bihar
2000—2005 		Succeeded by
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