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News India Live, Digital Desk: Bihar Politics: The politics of Bihar is full of stories and stories, but there is an anecdote that is still repeated the most in the corridors of power. This is the story of the era when a scam forced the state’s most powerful Chief Minister to leave the chair and then the Chief Minister did a bet that no one had imagined. This is the story of Lalu Prasad Yadav’s resignation and Rabri Devi became the Chief Minister.
A scam that shook the foundation of the government
It was the 90s. Lalu Prasad Yadav was the biggest face of Bihar politics. He used to speak. But then, a genie named ‘Chara Scam’ brought a stir in his politics. This was a major scam of thousands of crores of rupees, in which illegal withdrawal was done from the government treasury in the name of animal feed. When the heat of the investigation in this case reached the Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, the pressure of resignation on him started increasing all -round.
The CBI was investigating, the court was strict and the opposition was the attacker. Finally, the day has come when Lalu understood that it is not possible to stay on the chair now.
Who will be the next Chief Minister? Bazaar of speculation hot
As soon as the news of Lalu’s resignation spread, the biggest question arose as to who will now become the next Chief Minister of Bihar? His party, there were many senior and veteran leaders in the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), who were contesting their claim for this post. Everyone was engaged in setting up their equations. Nobody knew what was going on in Lalu’s mind.
And Lalu threw ‘trump card’
Amidst all the speculation and political uproar, Lalu Prasad Yadav gave a verdict that surprised the whole country. He announced a name for the post of Chief Minister, which was not far away in any political discussion – his wife, Rabri Devi.
Rabri Devi, who was a normal housewife till that time and who was identified only as Lalu Yadav’s wife, was made the Chief Minister of a big and complex state like Bihar. This was perhaps the most unexpected and shocking decision of Indian politics. The woman who had never contested any election, who had no administrative experience, was now going to sit directly on the Chief Minister’s chair.
Why did Lalu take this decision?
Critics described it as a joke of democracy, while the supporters called it Lalu’s ‘Masterstroke’. Actually, there was a well thought out strategy behind this decision. Lalu knew that if he had made another leader the Chief Minister, his hold on power could have weakened. That leader could make a separate group of his own and could become a challenge for Lalu only in future.
By making Rabri Devi the Chief Minister, Lalu kept the key of power in his house. He wanted to run the government with ‘remote control’ even while staying in jail, and he was also successful to a large extent. Rabri Devi was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Bihar, not one, but thrice.
This anecdote still reminds me of when it is almost impossible to guess when, which move is done in politics.