Rabri Devi
Quick Facts
Biography
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.
She contested from Saran constituency in 2014 Loksabha election but lost.
Criticism
The appointment of Rabri Devi as the Chief Minister of Bihar came under severe satirical criticism and stiff opposition, because she was illiterate and had little experience or interest in politics.
Personal life
Rabri Devi married Lalu Prasad Yadav in 1973 at the age of 17 and has nine children, seven girls and two boys. 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.