Rabri Devi was not Lalu Prasad’s first choice as his replacement in Bihar CM post: Book

When RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav, then Bihar chief minister, began scouting for his successor in June 1997 amid a likelihood of his arrest in the fodder scam case, his wife Rabri Devi was not his first choice.

Yadav had first zeroed in on his party MP Kanti Singh, backing her election as the RJD legislature party leader.

But a single conversation between Yadav and then prime minister IK Gujral about his decision flipped the entire script ahead of the final move and brought Rabri Devi, a housewife who had till then stayed away from politics, into the scene.

She was sworn in as Bihar’s first woman chief minister on July 25, 1997, a move that drew criticism from a section accusing Yadav of nepotism. Rabri Devi went on to serve as the Bihar CM for around seven years in three non-consecutive terms. Yadav was later convicted and jailed in the multi-crore fodder scam.

The dramatic turn of events, recounted in a forthcoming book, ‘Neele Aakash Ka Sach’, narrates the story of the power transition in Bihar borne out of crisis and political calculations.

“CBI had decided to file a chargesheet against Lalu Prasad in the fodder scam. On June 17, 1997, Bihar Governor AR Kidwai granted permission to file a charge sheet against Lalu Prasad.

“Lalu Prasad was unwilling to resign as chief minister,” Amrendra Kumar, a senior journalist who has been covering Bihar and Jharkhand politics for about three decades, writes in his books.

The RJD chief used to allege that he was being targeted under a conspiracy but eventually he decided to resign as CM and place someone else in the post.

“It was July 25, 1997… A meeting was underway at chief minister Lalu Prasad’s official residence, 1 Anne Marg, to select a new chief minister.

“That day, MP Kanti Singh arrived quite well-dressed. Her morale was also high. She was very close to Lalu Prasad. That day, Lalu Prasad was about to hand over his throne to her. Kanti Singh might have been aware of this as well,” the author writes.

The meeting lasted for a while, and Kanti Singh was elected as the RJD legislative party leader.

“Her name also began to be discussed outside the meeting. Even news agencies reported that she had been selected as the legislative party leader. But fate had something else in store,” recounts Kumar.

After Singh’s name was finalised in the meeting, Kumar writes, Yadav went to his room to apprise Gujral of his decision.

“On hearing Lalu Prasad, Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral asked, ‘Why not Rabri Devi?’ He (Gujral) said, ‘Only if Rabri Devi becomes CM, the government will remain safe from your home’,” the author says.

Following Gujral’s suggestion, Lalu Prasad Yadav, a “shrewd political player”, immediately got the point and announced Rabri Devi’s name as Bihar Chief Minister.

The move drew immediate reactions in Bihar’s political corridor, with one section hailing it as a commendable step for Bihar to get its first woman chief minister, while the other saw it as a promotion of dynastic politics by the RJD chief. Critics also saw it as Yadav’s well-thought-out move to control his party’s government from behind the scenes.

But the real test for newly appointed chief minister Rabri Devi was to come in the Assembly as she had no prior experience.

“When she first entered the House, both the ruling party and the Opposition welcomed her. Yet, everyone wondered: would a housewife be able to speak in front of so many seasoned leaders? The House began. Rabri Devi sat completely silent. Next to her were seated the seasoned leaders of her party, staunch supporters of Lalu Prasad,” Kumar writes.

Then the moment came when the opposition demanded an explanation from the chief minister on a matter.

“Rabri Devi remained calm. Those in the ruling party were wondering what she would answer. Then a senior leader asked her to order an investigation into the matter. The House remained eerily quiet. Everyone’s eyes were on Rabri Devi. She stood up and made a single statement: ‘I will have it investigated’,” the author of the book recounts.

“Then all the members of the ruling party and the opposition began to applaud her statement with thumping...  Both the ruling party and the opposition began to believe that Bihar’s first woman chief minister, Rabri Devi, could face the House,” he adds.

Later, everything returned to normal. Just a few days after Rabri Devi became chief minister, Kanti Singh was also appointed a Minister of State at the Centre. Later, she became a Minister of State with independent charge.

“The story of Rabri Devi’s dedication and greatness is that despite never having directly encountered government work, she achieved great success as the chief minister.

“People said that in her early days, she felt very uncomfortable signing files and government letters… But with patience and dedication, she later became adept at this task,” adds the author of the book.