Rabri Devi
Rabri Devi | |
---|---|
Leader of the Opposition Bihar Legislative Council | |
Assumed office 14 February 2024 | |
Preceded by | Hari Sahni |
In office 13 April 2022 – 9 August 2022 | |
Preceded by | herself |
Succeeded by | Samrat Chaudhary |
In office 12 May 2018 – 23 June 2020 | |
Preceded by | Sushil Modi |
Succeeded by | herself |
21st Chief Minister of Bihar | |
In office 11 March 2000 – 6 March 2005 | |
Governor | |
Preceded by | Nitish Kumar |
Succeeded by | President's rule |
In office 9 March 1999 – 2 March 2000 | |
Governor | Sunder Singh Bhandari |
Preceded by | President's rule |
Succeeded by | Nitish Kumar |
In office 25 July 1997 – 11 February 1999 | |
Governor | Akhlaqur Rahman Kidwai |
Preceded by | Lalu Prasad |
Succeeded by | President's rule |
Member of Bihar Legislative Council | |
Assumed office 7 May 2012 | |
In office 11 December 1997 – 2 June 2000 | |
Constituency | elected by Legislative assembly member's |
18th Leader of the Opposition Bihar Legislative Assembly | |
In office 20 November 2005 – 23 December 2010 | |
Preceded by | Upendra Kushwaha |
Succeeded by | Abdul Bari Siddiqui |
Member of Bihar Legislative Assembly | |
In office 2 June 2000 – 26 November 2010 | |
Preceded by | Lalu Prasad |
Succeeded by | Satish Kumar Yadav |
Constituency | Raghopur |
Personal details | |
Born | 1959 (age 64–65) Salar Kalan, 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) |
Residence(s) | Hawai Adda, Patna, Bihar, India |
Rabri Devi[1][2] (Devanagri: राबड़ी देवी,[1][2] IAST: rābar̤ī devī Sanskrit pronunciation: [ɾɑːbəɽiː d̪eːʋiː]) 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 currently serving as the Leader of the Opposition in Bihar Legislative Council.
She is married to Indian politician Lalu Prasad, 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 Legislative Assembly.
Early life and Education
[edit]Rabri was born in 1959[3][4] in Salar Kalan village,located near Mirganj in the Gopalganj district of Bihar. However, she has stated in affidavits submitted for elections that her birth year is as early as 1953.[1][2] Her parents are Sib Prasad Chaudhary[3] and Maharjia Devi. She is named after an Indian sweet as per a custom in her family. Her 3 sisters are similarly named Jalebi, Rasgulla and Paan.[5]
She has studied only up to the fifth standard at a local school in her village. Her parents were hesitant to send their daughters to schools located far away, unlike her brothers, who received proper education. As a result, none of her sisters is educated.[4] Prabhunath Yadav, Subhash Prasad Yadav and Sadhu Yadav are her three real brothers.
Political career
[edit]Rabri Devi became the first female Chief Minister of Bihar on 25 July 1997, after her husband, Lalu Prasad, 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 (He was also the last chief minister of Undivided Bihar).[6][7]
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.[8][9]
She contested from Saran in 2014 Lok Sabha election but lost to Rajiv Pratap Rudy of BJP.[10]
Rabri Devi were elected unopposed to the Legislative Council.[11]
Criticism
[edit]Rabri Devi's appointment as the Chief Minister of Bihar is considered one of the most unexpected and awkward decisions[7] in Indian political history, as she was a traditional housewife and had no interest nor any prior experience in politics.[6] She came under severe satirical criticism and stiff opposition, because of her illiteracy[4][12] and inexperience.[13]
Personal life and family
[edit]Rabri Devi married Lalu Prasad on 1 June 1973 at the age of 14 years,[3][4] in a child marriage, and they went on to have seven daughters and then 2 sons. [14][15][16][3][17][18] Her husband, Lalu also demanded ₹5000 as dowry from her father, which was fulfilled.[4]
- eldest daughter: Misa Bharti
- 2nd daughter: Rohini Acharya Yadav
- 3rd daughter: Chanda Yadav
- 4th daughter: Ragini Yadav - married to Rahul Yadav, Samajwadi Party leader[19]
- 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]Rabri Devi has been elected 3 times as MLA and 4 times as MLC
# | From | To | Position | Party |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | 1997 | 2000 |
|
RJD |
2. | 2000 | 2005 |
|
RJD |
3. | Feb 2005 | Oct 2005 | RJD | |
4. | 2005 | 2010 |
|
RJD |
5. | 2012 | 2018 |
|
RJD |
6. | 2018 | 2024 |
|
RJD |
7. | 2024 | Present |
|
RJD |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c http://ceobihar.nic.in/election/GeneralElection2014/PC20/S04-Bihar-20--May-2014%20(%20GEN%20)-3-RABRI%20DEVI.PDF
- ^ a b c https://cdn.s3waas.gov.in/s3285e19f20beded7d215102b49d5c09a0/uploads/2023/05/2023051796.pdf
- ^ a b c d "Rabri Devi". Hindustan Times. 7 February 2005. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007.
- ^ a b c d e "rediff.com: The Rediff Interview/ Rabri Devi". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 14 November 2005. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
- ^ 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. Archived from the original on 27 March 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
- ^ a b Mishra, Dipak (17 February 2017). "Proxy rule lessons from Bihar". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 27 March 2017. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
- ^ "RJD Mobbed: Rabri Devi Loses Both Her Seats". Archived 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. Archived from the original on 20 May 2014. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
- ^ "Rabri Devi were elected unopposed to the Legislative Council". Prabhat Khabar. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
- ^ "Profile: Laloo to the Prasad Yadav". BBC. 18 December 2006. Archived from the original on 22 February 2007. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
- ^ "rediff.com: The Rediff Interview/ Rabri Devi". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 24 August 2005. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
- ^ "Rabri Devi: Age, Biography, Education, Husband, Caste, Net Worth & More - Oneindia". OneIndia.
- ^ Thakurta, Paranjoy Guha (8 May 2004). "The durability of Laloo Prasad Yadav". Business Line. Archived 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.
- ^ "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". Archived from the original on 24 December 2017. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
- ^ Thakur, Sankarshan (27 March 2014). "A sibling swing at succession". 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.
External links
[edit]- Living people
- Chief ministers of Bihar
- Rashtriya Janata Dal politicians
- Finance ministers of Bihar
- Women chief ministers of Indian states
- United Progressive Alliance candidates in the 2014 Indian general election
- Leaders of the Opposition in the Bihar Legislative Assembly
- Women members of the Bihar Legislative Assembly
- Yadav family of Bihar
- 20th-century Indian women politicians
- 20th-century Indian politicians
- 21st-century Indian women politicians
- Members of the Bihar Legislative Council
- Bihar MLAs 2000–2005
- 1956 births
- Bihar MLAs 2005–2010