Rabri Devi

Rabri Devi
21st Chief Minister of Bihar
In office
11 March 2000  6 March 2005
Preceded by Nitish Kumar
Succeeded by President's rule
In office
9 March 1999  2 March 2000
Preceded by President's rule
Succeeded by Nitish Kumar
In office
25 July 1997  11 February 1999
Preceded by Lalu Prasad Yadav
Succeeded by President's rule
Personal details
Born Gopalganj, Bihar
Political party RJD
Spouse(s) Lalu Prasad Yadav
Residence Patna
Religion Hinduism

Rabri Devi (born 1956) is an Indian politician from the state of Bihar. She is a Member of the Legislative Council for Bihar Vidhan Parishad who has served three terms as the Chief Minister of Bihar, as a member of the Rashtriya Janata Dal political party, between 1997 and 2005. She is the wife of the Indian politician Lalu Prasad Yadav, former Chief Minister of Bihar and former Railway Minister of India.

Political career

She became the first woman Chief Minister of Bihar on 25 July 1997 after her husband Lalu Prasad Yadav had to resign as the Chief Minister following the arrest warrant issued against him in corruption charges; in an unprecedented move, he anointed Rabri Devi as the new Bihar Chief Minister to hold onto power.[1]

She contested from Saran constituency in 2014 Loksabha election but lost.[2]

Criticism

The appointment of Rabri Devi as the Chief Minister of Bihar came under severe satirical criticism and stiff opposition, because she was illiterate[3][4] and had little experience or interest in politics.[5]

Personal life

Rabri Devi married Lalu Prasad Yadav in 1973[1][6] at the age of 17 and has nine children, seven girls and two boys.[7] Her younger son Tejashwi Yadav currently serves as the 4th Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar and at 26 years, is the youngest to hold the coveted office, while elder son Tej Pratap Yadav occupies the post of Bihar Health Minister.

References

  1. 1 2 "Rabri Devi". Hindustan Times. 7 February 2005. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007.
  2. Vaibhav, Aditya (2014-05-17). "Election results 2014: JD(U), RJD decimated in Bihar". The Times of India. TNN. Retrieved 2014-05-30.
  3. "rediff.com: The Rediff Interview/ Rabri Devi". www.rediff.com. Retrieved 2016-03-25.
  4. "Profile: Laloo Prasad Yadav". BBC. 2006-12-18. Retrieved 2016-03-25.
  5. "rediff.com: The Rediff Interview/ Rabri Devi". www.rediff.com. Retrieved 2016-03-25.
  6. "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".
  7. Thakur, Sankarshan (March 27, 2014). "A sibling swing at succession". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2015-01-30.
Preceded by
Lalu Prasad Yadav
Chief Minister of Bihar
1997—1999
Succeeded by
President's rule
Preceded by
President's rule
Chief Minister of Bihar
1999—2000
Succeeded by
Nitish Kumar
Preceded by
Nitish Kumar
Chief Minister of Bihar
2000—2005
Succeeded by
President's rule
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