Lalu Prasad patronised criminals when in power in Bihar, alleges brother-in-law Subhash Yadav

Former Rajya Sabha MP says he and his brother were vilified and the RJD chief brokered kidnapping deals from the Chief Minister’s residence

Former Rajya Sabha MP Subhash Yadav, once considered a close aide of Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad, sparked a controversy on Thursday (February 13, 2025) by alleging that Mr. Prasad patronised criminals and brokered kidnapping deals from the Chief Minister’s residence during the RJD regime in the State. This came on a day when Mr. Prasad claimed that the RJD would never allow the BJP to form the government in Bihar.

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“We [Mr. Yadav and his elder brother Sadhu Yadav] were vilified… He [Mr. Prasad] patronised criminals in every corner of the State. Kidnapping deals were brokered at the Chief Minister’s residence and Mr. Prasad himself was involved in some negotiations,” said Mr. Yadav. When asked who “vilified” them, Mr. Yadav replied curtly, “Mr. Prasad and [his wife and former Bihar Chief Minister] Rabri Devi, who else?”

Both Mr. Yadav and Mr. Sadhu Yadav are brothers-in-law of Mr. Prasad. During the RJD regime, the brothers enjoyed significant political clout and faced several cases, but later parted ways with Mr. Prasad to chart their own political path, which proved unsuccessful. In February 2024, Mr. Yadav surrendered at the MP/MLA special court in Patna in a land grab case after an earthmover arrived to demolish his Kautilya Nagar residence following an attachment order.

Meanwhile, State BJP president Dilip Jaiswal thanked Mr. Yadav for calling “a spade a spade”. “We (BJP) want to thank Mr. Yadav for calling a spade a spade… Bihar has not forgotten those days of jungle raj during 1990-2005”, Mr. Jaiswal said.

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Earlier in the day, speaking on the results of the Delhi Assembly election, Mr. Prasad claimed that the BJP would not be able to form the government in Bihar “till we [RJD] are here”. The Assembly election in Bihar is due in October-November this year. The BJP however hit back. “The BJP has a golden chance to retain power in Bihar along with Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) but who will be the Chief Minister is difficult to predict now as it will be decided by the top leadership”, a senior BJP leader in Bihar told The Hindu, casting doubts over Mr. Kumar continuing as Chief Minister for another term.

Published - February 13, 2025 08:55 pm IST