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‘Women tell me Lalu is like God for them’
Rohini Acharya is making her debut in electoral politics as the RJD candidate from Saran Lok Sabha seat, where she is pitted against sitting BJP MP Rajiv Pratap Rudy.
For voters of Bihar’s Saran Lok Sabha constituency (Chapra before 2008 delimitation), the contest between RJD patriarch Lalu Prasad’s family and BJP’s Rajiv Pratap Rudy is nothing new. In the past two parliamentary polls, it was a direct fight between Rudy and RJD candidates linked to the Lalu family. In 2014, Rudy trounced Lalu’s wife and former CM Rabri Devi by 40,000 votes. In 2019, he defeated Chandrika Rai, father-in-law of Lalu’s son Tej Pratap Yadav, by 1.38 lakh votes. This time, there is a lot of interest in Saran as Lalu’s daughter Rohini Acharya is making her electoral debut. A medical graduate, Rohini is settled in Singapore. She was in the news in 2022 when she donated one of her kidneys to her ailing father, an act that won her praise even from Lalu’s rivals. She spoke to Vijay Swaroop about the challenges she faces, the BJP barb on “kidney for ticket”, the outsider tag and other issues. Excerpts:
You are making an electoral debut. How difficult the campaigning has been so far?
No doubt it was difficult, not only for me but also for people, workers and supporters. You see, today I am running three hours late (she was holding a road show at Maharajganj village on the banks of river Ganga. It is noon time and still children, women, some of whom nearly 100 years old, are waiting in scorching Sun just to see me, to see the daughter of Lalu Prasad. Women give me money as ashirvaadi (blessings). Women tell me that Lalu Prasad is like God for them.
What issues are you taking before the people while seeking votes?
Talking to voters, I have gathered that the main issue is unemployment. People, youth want employment. The common man wants relief from inflation, which affects their pockets. Saran’s drainage system is awfully bad. When it starts raining, drains starts overflowing. Education is another area of concern. My father Lalu Prasad opened J P University in 1992. Students complain that the session is running very late. They should have improved it in 10 years. Health is another area which requires lot of improvement. I am a medical graduate. I will work to make them aware towards their health and those of their kids. My brother, Tejashwi Yadav, when he was deputy chief minister, gave five lakh jobs in 17 months.
Do you think politics has degraded with leaders making more personal comments?
I will talk about myself. We have been listening to this type of bad language since childhood and BJP is expert in this. All over the country, people appreciated/lauded my kidney donation to my father but the BJP has given a new twist by saying “kidney for ticket”. This is sickening. BJP knows how to insult women. Be it the case of women wrestlers, Prajwal case, what has BJP done. Those who insult women they are rewarded by the BJP. They believe in humiliating women, their culture is like that. BJP follows the same standard with corrupt people.
BJP is calling you an outsider?
I am the daughter of this place.
Your views on Nitish Kumar?
He cuts a sorry figure nowadays. We gave him so much respect, but now he is holding BJP’s torch (referring to BJP symbol which Nitish Kumar was carrying during PM Modi road show in Patna).
You and your party allege BJP is diverting from real issues?
This is entirely true. Everybody knows his (PM’s) gimmicks. He did not fulfil any of his promise. The entire country, people of Bihar, know this. He is only talking about Hindu-Muslim, Pakistan. I have also come from Singapore. Nobody talks about him there. What happened to two crore employment every year. Instead of providing jobs they suggest to open pakoda shops. What happened to ₹15 lakh in every account, the electoral bond issue. Janta jagrit hai. (People are aware and alive of their rights). Bihar is known for blowing the winds of change. The results will upset all calculations.
