Rabri Devi
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.
Rabri Devi Yadav | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 21st Chief Minister of Bihar | |
| In office 11 March 2000 – 6 March 2005 | |
| Governor | V. C. Pande |
| Preceded by | Nitish Kumar |
| Succeeded by | President's rule |
| In office 9 March 1999 – 2 March 2000 | |
| Governor | V. C. Pande |
| Preceded by | President's rule |
| Succeeded by | Nitish Kumar |
| In office 25 July 1997 – 11 February 1999 | |
| Governor | Akhlaqur Rahman Kidwai P. Venkatasubbaiah |
| Preceded by | Lalu Prasad Yadav |
| Succeeded by | President's rule |
| Leader of Opposition in Bihar Legislative Council | |
| In office 12 May 2018 – 23 June 2020 | |
| Leader of Opposition in Bihar Legislative Assembly | |
| In office 20 Nov 2005 – 23 Dec 2010 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1 January 1955[1] Gopalganj, Bihar, India[1] |
| Political party | Rashtriya Janata Dal |
| Spouse(s) | Lalu Prasad Yadav |
| 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) |
| Residence | Patna |
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.She went on to rule the state till 2005 .[2][3]
Devi was elected thrice to Bihar Vidhan Sabha from Raghopur seat. In 2010 Bihar Legislative Assembly election, Rabri 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.[4][5]
She contested from Saran in 2014 Lok Sabha election but lost to Rajiv Pratap Rudy of BJP.[6]
Criticism
Devi's appointment as the Chief Minister of Bihar is considered one of the most unexpected and awkward decision[3] in Indian political history, as she was a traditional housewife and had no interest nor any prior experience in politics.[2] She came under severe satirical criticism and stiff opposition, because of her illiteracy[7][8] and inexperience.[9]
Personal life
Rabri Devi was born in 1956 in Gopalganj, Bihar.[1] She is named after an Indian sweet as per a custom in her family. Her sisters are similarly named Jalebi, Rasgulla and Paan.[10] Rabri Devi married Lalu Prasad Yadav in 1973[11][12] at the age of 17 and has nine children, seven girls and two boys.[13] 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 was inspired by Rabri Devi's tenure as the chief minister.[14][15]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Rabri Devi: Age, Biography, Education, Husband, Caste, Net Worth & More - Oneindia". www.oneindia.com. OneIndia.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 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.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 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".
- ↑ Vaibhav, Aditya (17 May 2014). "Election results 2014: JD(U), RJD decimated in Bihar". The Times of India. TNN. Archived from the original on 31 May 2014. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
- ↑ "rediff.com: The Rediff Interview/ Rabri Devi". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 14 November 2005. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ Akbar, M. J. "M. J. Akbar: Laloo steals Congress seats in Bihar for sweet Rabri". gulfnews.com. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
- ↑ "Rabri Devi". Hindustan Times. 7 February 2005. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007.
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ Menon, Aditya (2 June 2021). "Jungle Raj Inverted: 'Maharani' Gets Caste Better Than Many Others". TheQuint. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
- ↑ "Chaara Ghotala As Daana Ghotala, How Bollywood Passes Off Facts As Fodder For Fiction". Outlook India. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
External links
| Preceded by Lalu Prasad Yadav |
Chief Minister of Bihar 1997—1999 |
Succeeded by President's rule |
| Preceded by President's rule |
Chief Minister of Bihar 1999—2000 |
Succeeded by Nitish Kumar |
| Preceded by Nitish Kumar |
Chief Minister of Bihar 2000—2005 |
Succeeded by President's rule |