While fissures in the Lalu clan are quite visible now. The man at the centre of this family feud is the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) Rajya Sabha MP and a Haryana native Sanjay Yadav. He is supposed to be the eyes and ears of Tejashwi Yadav. Lalu Yadav’s younger son is leading the RJD campaign in the run-up to the Bihar assembly polls.
But first, one needs to understand the battle of supremacy going on between the Lalu family siblings. Tejashwi is today a de facto heir apparent to RJD patriarch Lalu Prasad Yadav. His elder brother, Tej Pratap Yadav, has virtually revolted and today leads Janshakti Janata Dal. The other two key politically active Lalu Yadav’s family members are his daughters Misa Bharti and Rohini Acharya. Both have already publicly expressed displeasure over Sanjay Yadav’s growing influence in RJD.
The latest trigger has been a viral photo showing Sanjay Yadav occupying the front seat of a specially designed bus being used by Tejashwi in the ongoing Bihar Adhikar Yatra. Interestingly, Rohini Acharya amplified a Facebook post written by a Patna resident, Alok Kumar. The post questioned Sanjay Yadav sitting in the front seat, asserting that the front seat is always reserved for the supreme leader. This obviously referred to a member from Lalu family. Tej Pratap has also been repeatedly targetting Sanjay Yadav, referring to his Haryana credentials time and again.
Who is Sanjay Yadav?
But then who is Sanjay Yadav and how is became a key strategist of Tejashwsi Yadav. Hailing from Nangal Sirohi village in Yadav-dominated Mahendragarh district of Haryana, Sanjay Yadav comes from a lesser-known political family. He has been instrumental in shaping key decisions within RJD in the recent past. He is even credited with a contribution to the RJD victory in the last assembly elections in Bihar as part of strategist.
However, very few people know that it was former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and fellow Yadav, Akhilesh Yadav, who introduced Sanjay Yadav to Tejashwi in 2012 & the rest is history. But then Akhilesh’s step to introduce a Haryanvi Yadav to Tejashwi Yadav is proving to be a nemesis for the Lalu family. Today, Sanjay Yadav stands to be the biggest reason behind the widening cracks in the Lalu Yadav family.
Why did Akhilesh Yadav introduce Sanjay Yadav to Tejashwi?
But then is Akhilesh being revengeful? And there is certainly a reason behind it. Not once but twice Lalu betrayed his father Mulayam and did not let him become the Prime Minister. The reason Lalu never wanted any other Yadav other than him to become PM of the country.
There are two clear-cut instances when Mulayam Singh Yadav was close to becoming the Prime Minister if Lalu Prasad Yadav had not objected. In the year 1996 when the United Front was about to form a government, Mulayam Singh’s name was floated for the post of Prime Minister by a senior front leader and CPI’s General secretary Harkishan Singh Surjit.
Surjit was in strong favour of Mulayam Singh Yadav becoming the leader of the United Front Government at the centre. Coming from Hindi heartland and most populous state of Uttar Pradesh went in Mulayam Singh Yadav’s favour. But then Lalu Prasad Yadav who also kept bigger ambition and had much say in the affairs of United Front at that time put his foot down and strongly objected to the Prime Minister post being given to Mulayam Singh Yadav. Lalu had threatened United Front leaders that he would consume poison if Mulayam is made the Prime Minister.
And Mulayam Singh Yadav’s quest for becoming Prime Minister did not end here. Even in 1999, he was close to becoming PM. During 1999 general elections, Mulayam Singh scored a double victory, from the Sambhal and Kannauj seats. His name came up again for PM post. But in a repeat of 1996, Lalu Yadav along with some other Yadav leaders this time refused to back Mulayam Singh. As a result, Netaji as Mulayam Singh Yadav was popularly known lost out on becoming Pradhan Mantri.
Now, coming to the reason. Analysts suggest that Lalu Prasad Yadav objected to Mulayam Singh Yadav for the sole reason that he never wanted any other Yadav other than himself to become Prime Minister of the country. He was afraid that after becoming PM, Mulayam Singh Yadav would emerge as the biggest Yadav leader of the country and thus a threat to him and his family.
The late former CM of Uttar Pradesh Mulayam Singh Yadav later on several occasions openly admitted that Lalu Prasad Yadav did not let him become a Prime Minister. Today Akhilesh Yadav is undisputed supremo of the Samajwadi Party while Lalu’s children are fighting among themselves.
