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Rabri Devi

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Rabri Devi
Rabri in 2005
Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Legislative Council
Incumbent
Assumed office
14 February 2024
Preceded byHari Sahni
In office
13 April 2022 – 9 August 2022
Preceded byherself
Succeeded bySamrat Chaudhary
In office
12 May 2018 – 23 June 2020
Preceded bySushil Modi
Succeeded byherself
21st Chief Minister of Bihar
In office
11 March 2000 – 6 March 2005
Governor
Preceded byNitish Kumar
Succeeded byPresident's rule
In office
9 March 1999 – 2 March 2000
GovernorSunder Singh Bhandari
Preceded byPresident's rule
Succeeded byNitish Kumar
In office
25 July 1997 – 11 February 1999
GovernorAkhlaqur Rahman Kidwai
Preceded byLalu Prasad
Succeeded byPresident's rule
Member of Bihar Legislative Council
Incumbent
Assumed office
7 May 2012
In office
11 December 1997 – 2 June 2000
Constituencyelected by Legislative assembly members
18th Leader of the Opposition
Bihar Legislative Assembly
In office
20 November 2005 – 23 December 2010
Preceded byUpendra Kushwaha
Succeeded byAbdul Bari Siddiqui
Member of Bihar Legislative Assembly
In office
2 June 2000 – 26 November 2010
Preceded byLalu Prasad
Succeeded bySatish Kumar Yadav
ConstituencyRaghopur
Personal details
Born1959 (age 64–65)
Salar Kalan, Bihar, India
Political partyRashtriya Janata Dal
Spouse
​
(m. 1973)​
RelationsTej Pratap Singh Yadav (son-in-law)
Chiranjeev Rao (son-in-law)
Sadhu Yadav (brother)
Subhash Prasad Yadav (brother)
Children9 (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

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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

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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 (She was also the last chief minister of Undivided Bihar).[6][7]

Bihar CM Devi presents Rs.10 crore cheque to Prime Minister of the time, Manmohan Singh for the national relief fund

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 was elected unopposed to the Legislative Council.[11]

Criticism

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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

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See also: Political families of Bihar § Lalu Yadav family

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]

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

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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

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  1. ^ a b c http://ceobihar.nic.in/election/GeneralElection2014/PC20/S04-Bihar-20--May-2014%20(%20GEN%20)-3-RABRI%20DEVI.PDF
  2. ^ a b c https://cdn.s3waas.gov.in/s3285e19f20beded7d215102b49d5c09a0/uploads/2023/05/2023051796.pdf
  3. ^ a b c d "Rabri Devi". Hindustan Times. 7 February 2005. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ Akbar, M. J. (19 April 2004). "M. J. Akbar: Laloo steals Congress seats in Bihar for sweet Rabri". Gulf News.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ "RJD Mobbed: Rabri Devi Loses Both Her Seats". Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
  9. ^ "Rabri loses in both seats". The Hindu. 24 November 2010.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ "Rabri Devi were elected unopposed to the Legislative Council". Prabhat Khabar. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
  12. ^ "Profile: Laloo to the Prasad Yadav". BBC. 18 December 2006. Archived from the original on 22 February 2007. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  13. ^ "rediff.com: The Rediff Interview/ Rabri Devi". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 24 August 2005. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  14. ^ "Rabri Devi: Age, Biography, Education, Husband, Caste, Net Worth & More - Oneindia". OneIndia.
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ "Sons in Bihar cabinet, daughters wed to Mulayam kin - sprawling Lalu family tree spans party lines". The Print. 24 August 2022.
  17. ^ "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.
  18. ^ Thakur, Sankarshan (27 March 2014). "A sibling swing at succession". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 14 June 2014. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  19. ^ "Lalu's Swiss-educated son-in-law hops on Samajwadi cycle, chants growth mantra". Hindustan Times. 7 February 2017.
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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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