Robert Vadra isn’t the only Achilles’ heel in Indian politics any more. It seems that family melodrama is all set to add even more colour to political theatrics in Bihar. It isn’t the clichéd saas-bahu rivalry that’s making waves in Patna, but a rare and definitely more interesting sasur-damaad conflict. Both the RJD-JD(U)-Congress and the NDA have son-in-laws who are trying to spoil the political fortunes of their father-in-laws.
The run-up to the Bihar polls has already had it’s fair share of drama. Old allies have turned enemies, and older allies-turned enemies have become friends again.
Trouble in the Paswan Clan
Stealing the show was Anil Kumar Sadhu, son-in-law of the Lok Janashakti Party (LJP) supremo Ram Vilas Paswan.
Sadhu has announced that he will oppose the NDA alliance all over Bihar, after he was denied a ticket from Kutumba (reserved seat in Aurangabad district), in favour of chief minister and HAM founder Jitan Ram Manjhi’s son Santosh Kumar Suman.
Sadhu was so incensed at his father-in-law’s decision, he panned brother-in-law Chirag Paswan’s film Mile Na Mile Hum, calling him a flop hero, stating his political career had no better chances than his acting one.
Things took an emotional turn when Anil Kumar Sadhu spoke of his saasu-ma, bursting into tears at being rejected by his family.
Theatrics aside, Sadhu is President of the Dalit Sena and can cause some harm to the NDA in the elections.
Samdhi’s Turn Foes
“Lalu Prasad Yadav is keen to leave a political legacy for his children, at least three of whom are interested in politics,” opines Sankarshan Thakur, Roving Editor of The Telegraph. But a challenge to his political legacy seems to be emerging from within his family.
Before the Janta Parivar broke up, it came together. And as a pre-cursor to that political alliance, there was a marriage alliance. Lalu Prasad Yadav’s youngest daughter Raj Lakshmi married Tej Pratap Singh, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh’s grand-nephew in February this year.
The Samajwadi Party has left the ‘Grand Alliance’ in Bihar, purportedly over differences on seat sharing in the Assembly elections. Now, Lalu’s son-in-law is all set to campaign against him along with his other samdhis Mulayam Singh and Akhilesh Yadav.
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