Lalu Prasad Yadav Biography

About Lalu Prasad Yadav

Lalu Prasad Yadav is an Indian politician belonging to the political party Rashtriya Janata Dal. He founded the party in 1997 after breaking off from the Janata Dal over the issue of Fodder Scam. He was the first president of the newly founded party and remains its president to this day. He has held prominent posts both in the Parliament and the state legislative assembly. From 2004 to 2009 he served as the Railway Minister under the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government. He is the former Chief Minister of Bihar, having held the post from 1990 to 1997. He got elected from the Saran constituency in Bihar as a Member of Parliament (MP) of the 15th Lok Sabha but was disqualified from the post when he was convicted for his involvement in the Fodder Scam of 1996. A sentence of five years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs. 25 lakh was ordered. On 13 December 2013, hearing his appeal, the Supreme Court of India granted him bail on one of the six cases registered against him on the Fodder Scam issue.

There are several other corruption cases against Lalu Prasad Yadav that are currently sub-judice. He is known to be a crowd-puller and a master politician with unique oratorial skills. He has faced criticism for advocating and supporting casteism in politics.

Detailed personal background

Lalu Prasad Yadav was born on 11 June, 1948 in Phulwaria which is situated in the Gopalganj district of the state of Bihar. He is the second son of a poor peasant family of Shri Kundan Rai and Smt. Marachhiya Devi. He did his primary education in a school at Bihar Military Police No. 5. Here he studied up to seventh standard. Thereafter, he along with his elder brother shifted to Patna. He completed his Bachelors degree in Law and Masters degree in Political Science from B.N. College under the University of Patna. He worked as a clerk after his graduation in the Bihar Veterinary College in Patna. His elder brother also worked there as a peon.

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On 1 June 1973, Lalu Prasad Yadav married Rabri Devi. The couple has seven daughters: Misha, Rohini, Bharti, Chanda, Hema, Rajlakshmi and Dhannu. Their two sons are Tej Pratap and Tajashwi. When Lalu Prasad Yadav resigned as Chief Minister of Bihar in the year 1997 following corruption charges against him for his involvement in 1996 Fodder Scam, Rabri Devi became the Chief Minister of Bihar and remained so until 2005, with brief interruptions. This move was highly criticized by opposition parties, who accused Rabri Devi of serving as Lalu Prasad Yadav’s surrogate.

In 2004, Lalu Prasad was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Patna University, which he turned down.

Professional background and entry in politics

Lalu Prasad Yadav’s first step in Indian politics was as a student. He contested in the Patna University Union elections. This step was considered to have given him the Janata Party membership to contest and become a member of the 6th Lok Sabha in 1977. He became one of the youngest members of the then Parliament at the age of 29 years.

Political Journey so far

• In 1977, he won the Lok Sabha elections for the first time at the age of 29. He was elected as a member of Parliament from Chhapra.
• From 1980 to 1989, he served two consecutive terms as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Bihar.
• In 1989 he was:
  • Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly of Bihar
  • Convener of Public Undertakings Committee
  • Chairman of the Pustakalaya Committee
  • Elected for a second term in the 9th Lok Sabha
• From 1990 to 1995 he remained member of Legislative Council of Bihar.
• From 1990 to 1997 he was the Chief Minister of Bihar.
• From 1995 to 1998 he was the member of the Legislative Assembly of Bihar.
• In 1996 his involvement in Fodder Scam was revealed.
• In 1997 he disassociated himself from the Janata Dal and formed a new party called Rashtriya Janata Dal.
• In 1998 he was elected for the third term as a member of the 12th Lok Sabha.
• From 1998 to 1999 he was member of:
  • Committee of Home Affairs
  • Committee on General Purpose
  • Consultative Committee of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting
• In 2004, he was elected as member of the 14th Lok Sabha and became Cabinet Minister in the railway ministry. His party emerged as a key member of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.
• In 2009 he was re-elected for the fifth term as a member of the 15th Lok Sabha.
• Following his conviction in the fodder scam case in 2013, Lalu Prasad was barred from contesting elections for the next six years.
• In the 2015 Bihar assembly elections, his party made a major comeback with voters of Bihar giving mandate to the alliance of Lalu Prasad Yadav's RJD and Nitish Kumar's JD(U).

Corruption charges against Lalu Prasad Yadav

• Lalu Prasad Yadav was accused of involvement in the 1996 Fodder Scam where siphoning off of huge amount of money (about Rs. 9.50 billion) from the Animal Husbandry Department was alleged. On 30 September 2013, he, along with 44 others, including politicians and IAS officers, was convicted by the CBI court. A sentence of 5 years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs. 25 lakh was given to him for his involvement in the scam. He was taken to the Birsa Munda Central Jail in Ranchi. As a consequence of this incident, he was disqualified as a Member of Parliament and not allowed to contest in elections for the next six years. On his appeal, the Supreme Court of India granted him bail on 13 December, 2013 on one of the six cases registered against him on the Fodder Scam issue. Accordingly, he was released from jail on 16 December, 2013.
• A disproportionate assets case was filed against Lalu Prasad Yadav and Rabri Devi in 1998.
• In 2004, Lalu Prasad Yadav accused veteran BJP leader and the then Leader of Opposition L.K. Advani of conspiring the death of Muhammad Ali Jinnah. He called Advani an "international absconder".
• Lalu Prasad Yadav accused BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu of selling 55,000 tons of wheat in Andhra Pradesh among groups inducted for drought relief distribution.
• He faced criticism when he used Osama bin Laden’s look-alike for campaigning and wooing Muslim voters during the 2005 Bihar elections.