Rabri Devi

2022-01-08T11:53:10Z

2409:4071:D11:D375:0:0:A28A:D205:

{{Short description|21st Chief Minister of Bihar}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Rabri Devi Yadav
| image = File:Rabri Devi.jpg
| image_size = 300px
| caption =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1955|1|1|df=y}}<ref name="oneindia" />
| birth_place = [[Gopalganj, Bihar|Gopalganj]], [[Bihar]], India<ref name="oneindia" />
| residence = [[Patna]]
| death_date =
| death_place =
| order = 21st
| office = Chief Minister of Bihar
| term_start = 11 March 2000
| term_end = 6 March 2005
| constituency =
| governor = [[V. C. Pande]]
| predecessor = [[Nitish Kumar]]
| successor = [[President's rule]]
| term_start1 = 9 March 1999
| term_end1 = 2 March 2000
| governor1 = [[V. C. Pande]]
| predecessor1 = [[President's rule]]
| successor1 = [[Nitish Kumar]]
| term_start2 = 25 July 1997
| term_end2 = 11 February 1999
| governor2 = [[Akhlaqur Rahman Kidwai]] [[P. Venkatasubbaiah]]
| predecessor2 = [[Lalu Prasad Yadav]]
| successor2 = [[President's rule]]
| office3 = [[Leader of Opposition]] in [[Bihar Legislative Council]]
| term_start3 = 12 May 2018
| term_end3 = 23 June 2020
| office4 = [[Leader of Opposition]] in [[Bihar Legislative Assembly]]
| term_start4 = 20 Nov 2005
| term_end4 = 23 Dec 2010
| party = [[Rashtriya Janata Dal]]
| spouse = [[Lalu Prasad Yadav]]
| website =
| footnotes =
| date =
| year =
| source =
| relations = [[Tejashwi Yadav]] (Son) [[Tej Pratap Yadav]] (Son) [[Misa Bharti]] (Daughter) Raj Laxmi Yadav (Daughter) [[Tej Pratap Singh Yadav]] (Son-in-law) [[Chiranjeev Rao]] (Son-in-law) [[Sadhu Yadav]] (brother) [[Subhash Prasad Yadav]](brother)
}}

'''Rabri Devi Yadav''' (born 1956) is an Indian politician who served three terms as the [[Chief Minister of Bihar]], the first and only woman till date to have held the office. She is a Member of Legislative Council of [[Bihar]], the [[Bihar Vidhan Parishad]]. She is the wife of Indian politician [[Lalu Prasad Yadav]], former Chief Minister of Bihar and former [[Railway Minister of India]] and mother of [[Tejashwi Yadav]], former Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar and Leader of Opposition. She is the [[Leader of Opposition]] in [[Bihar Legislative Council]].

==Political career==
Rabri Devi became the first female [[Chief Minister of Bihar]] on 25 July 1997, after her husband, Lalu Prasad Yadav, was forced to resign following the arrest warrant issued against him in corruption charges relating to the [[Fodder Scam|Fodder scam]].She went on to rule the state till 2005 .<ref name="kitchen">{{cite news|url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/dragged-from-the-kitchen-to-bihar-assembly-rabri-devi-learns-politics-fast/1/276449.html|date=1997-08-11|access-date=2017-01-31|work=[[India Today]]|first=Farz|last=Ahmed|title=Dragged from the kitchen to Bihar Assembly, Rabri Devi learns politics fast : Cover Story - India Today|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170327080503/http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/dragged-from-the-kitchen-to-bihar-assembly-rabri-devi-learns-politics-fast/1/276449.html|archive-date=27 March 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="proxy">{{cite news|last=Mishra|first=Dipak|date=2017-02-17|title=Proxy rule lessons from Bihar|work=[[The Telegraph (Kolkata)|The Telegraph]]|url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/1170219/jsp/frontpage/story_136545.jsp|url-status=live|access-date=2017-03-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170327165724/https://www.telegraphindia.com/1170219/jsp/frontpage/story_136545.jsp|archive-date=27 March 2017}}</ref>

[[File:Rabri Devi presenting a cheque for Rs. 10 crore on behalf of the State Government to the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh for the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund, in New Delhi on January 04, 2005.jpg|thumb|Bihar CM Rabri Devi presents Rs.10 crore cheque to Prime Minister [[Manmohan Singh]] for the national relief fund]]

Devi was elected thrice to Bihar Vidhan Sabha from [[Raghopur, Vaishali (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Raghopur]] seat. In [[2010 Bihar Legislative Assembly election]], Rabri Devi contested from two seats: [[Raghopur, Vaishali (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Raghopur]] and [[Sonpur (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Sonpur]] assembly seats, but lost both in an election where the [[Rashtriya Janata Dal]] faced defeat, winning only 22 seats.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.outlookindia.com/newswire/story/rjd-mobbed-rabri-devi-loses-both-her-seats/702322|title=RJD Mobbed: Rabri Devi Loses Both Her Seats|access-date=10 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612141449/https://www.outlookindia.com/newswire/story/rjd-mobbed-rabri-devi-loses-both-her-seats/702322|archive-date=12 June 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/Rabri-loses-in-both-seats/article15714578.ece|title=Rabri loses in both seats}}</ref>

She contested from [[Saran (Lok Sabha constituency)|Saran]] in [[2014 Indian general election|2014 Lok Sabha election]] but lost to [[Rajiv Pratap Rudy]] of BJP.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://m.timesofindia.com/home/lok-sabha-elections-2014/news/Election-results-2014-JDU-RJD-decimated-in-Bihar/articleshow/35233557.cms|date=2014-05-17|access-date=2014-05-30|work=The Times of India|agency=TNN|first=Aditya|last=Vaibhav|title=Election results 2014: JD(U), RJD decimated in Bihar|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140531090847/http://m.timesofindia.com/home/lok-sabha-elections-2014/news/Election-results-2014-JDU-RJD-decimated-in-Bihar/articleshow/35233557.cms|archive-date=31 May 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Criticism==
Devi's appointment as the [[Chief Minister of Bihar]] is considered one of the most unexpected and awkward decision<ref name="proxy" /> in Indian political history, as she was a traditional housewife and had no interest nor any prior experience in politics.<ref name="kitchen" /> She came under severe satirical criticism and stiff opposition, because of her [[Literacy|illiteracy]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rediff.com/news/2000/feb/22rabri.htm|title=rediff.com: The Rediff Interview/ Rabri Devi|publisher=Rediff.com|access-date=2016-03-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051114141826/http://www.rediff.com/news/2000/feb/22rabri.htm|archive-date=14 November 2005|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/3514292.stm|title=Profile: Laloo to the Prasad Yadav|date=2006-12-18|publisher=BBC|access-date=2016-03-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070222090325/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/3514292.stm|archive-date=22 February 2007|url-status=live}}</ref> and inexperience.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rediff.com/news/2000/feb/23rabri.htm|title=rediff.com: The Rediff Interview/ Rabri Devi|publisher=Rediff.com|access-date=2016-03-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050824081347/http://www.rediff.com/news/2000/feb/23rabri.htm|archive-date=24 August 2005|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Rabri Devi was born in 1956 in [[Gopalganj, Bihar|Gopalganj]], Bihar.<ref name="oneindia">{{cite web |title=Rabri Devi: Age, Biography, Education, Husband, Caste, Net Worth & More - Oneindia |url=https://www.oneindia.com/politicians/rabri-devi-32893.html |website=www.oneindia.com |publisher=OneIndia |language=en}}</ref> She is named after an [[Rabri|Indian sweet]] as per a custom in her family. Her sisters are similarly named [[Jalebi]], [[Rasgulla]] and [[Paan]].<ref name="gulfnews">{{cite news |last1=Akbar |first1=M. J. |title=M. J. Akbar: Laloo steals Congress seats in Bihar for sweet Rabri |url=https://gulfnews.com/uae/m-j-akbar-laloo-steals-congress-seats-in-bihar-for-sweet-rabri-1.319862 |access-date=14 December 2020 |work=gulfnews.com |language=en}}</ref> Rabri Devi married [[Lalu Prasad Yadav]] in 1973<ref name="sify-2005-02-07">{{cite news|date=7 February 2005|title=Rabri Devi|newspaper=Hindustan Times|url=http://sify.com/news/internet/fullstory.php?id=13664560|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930184612/http://sify.com/news/internet/fullstory.php?id=13664560|archive-date=30 September 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-lalu-paid-off-a-debt-to-his-wife-handsomely-1093659|title=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|access-date=12 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171224215207/http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-lalu-paid-off-a-debt-to-his-wife-handsomely-1093659|archive-date=24 December 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> at the age of 17 and has nine children, seven girls and two boys.<ref>{{Cite news|url = http://www.telegraphindia.com/1140327/jsp/frontpage/story_18124041.jsp|title = A sibling swing at succession|last = Thakur|first = Sankarshan|date = 27 March 2014|journal = The Telegraph|access-date = 2015-01-30|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140614091750/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1140327/jsp/frontpage/story_18124041.jsp|archive-date = 14 June 2014|url-status = live}}</ref> Her younger son [[Tejashwi Yadav]] served as the 4th [[Deputy Chief Minister]] of Bihar and currently serves as the [[Leader of Opposition]] in the [[Bihar Legislative Assembly]], the youngest to hold the office.

==In popular culture==
In 2021, Indian web series ''[[Maharani (web series)|Maharani]]'' was inspired by Rabri Devi's tenure as the chief minister.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Menon |first1=Aditya |title=Jungle Raj Inverted: ‘Maharani’ Gets Caste Better Than Many Others |url=https://www.thequint.com/entertainment/hot-on-web/maharani-web-series-huma-qureshi-sonyliv-rabri-devi-bihar-caste-politics |access-date=17 September 2021 |work=TheQuint |date=2 June 2021 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Chaara Ghotala As Daana Ghotala, How Bollywood Passes Off Facts As Fodder For Fiction |url=https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/chaara-ghotala-as-daana-ghotala-how-bollywood-passes-off-facts-as-fodder-for-fiction/384445 |access-date=17 September 2021 |work=Outlook India}}</ref>

==References==


{{reflist}}

==External links==

{{s-start}}
{{succession box |
before=[[Lalu Prasad Yadav]]|
title=[[Chief Minister of Bihar]]|
years=1997—1999|
after=[[President's rule]]
}}
{{succession box |
before=[[President's rule]]|
title=[[Chief Minister of Bihar]]|
years=1999—2000|
after=[[Nitish Kumar]]
}}
{{succession box |
before=[[Nitish Kumar]] |
title=[[Chief Minister of Bihar]]|
years=2000—2005|
after=[[President's rule]]
}}
{{S-end}}
{{Chief Ministers of Bihar}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Devi, Rabri}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Chief Ministers of Bihar]]
[[Category:Rashtriya Janata Dal politicians]]
[[Category:Finance Ministers of Bihar]]
[[Category:Women chief ministers of Indian states]]
[[Category:United Progressive Alliance candidates in the 2014 Indian general election]]
[[Category:Leaders of the Opposition in the Bihar Legislative Assembly]]
[[Category:Women members of the Bihar Legislative Assembly]]
[[Category:Yadav family of Bihar]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian women politicians]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian politicians]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian women politicians]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian politicians]]
[[Category:Members of the Bihar Legislative Council]]
[[Category:Members of the Bihar Legislative Assembly]]
[[Category:1956 births]]

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Rabri Devi