PATNA: RJD supremo Lalu Prasad’s daughter Rohini Acharya accused Sanjay Yadav and Rameez Nemath of escalating tension in the family, adding that his actions had pushed her to quit politics and severe family ties.
Sanjay (41) is the political advisor of Lalu Prasad’s younger son Tejashwi Prasad Yadav.
A post-graduate in computer science from Haryana’s Mahendragarh, he had worked as a software engineer with a private company in Delhi before he came in contact with Tejashwi in 2012.
According to former union minister and senior BJP leader Ram Kripal Yadav, it was his son Abhimanyu who had first introduced Sanjay Yadav to Tejashwi in Delhi.
At that time, Ram Kripal Yadav was in RJD and had cordial relations with Lalu-Rabri family. Ram Kripal was also known as ‘Lalu’s Hanuman’. Ram Kripal later distanced himself from Lalu-Rabri family and contested election from Patliputra Lok Sabha seat on the ticket of Bharatiya Janata Party. He won election twice from the seat—in 2014 and 2019—but lost to Lalu’s daughter Misa Bharti in 2024.
The association between Sanjay and Tejashwi grew quickly after 2015 assembly election. The election campaign of RJD-led Mahagathbandhan was then designed and controlled by political strategist Prashant Kishor as Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) was part of alliance. This resulted in formation of Mahagathbandhan government after the 2015 assembly election.
However, ahead of 2020 assembly elections when Lalu’s health deteriorated, Sanjay was made in-charge of ‘war room’. He established his position in RJD’s first family.
Sanjay looked after the election campaign of Tejashwi Yadav during 2020 assembly election in which RJD emerged as single largest party with 75 seats. In 2024, he was elevated to Rajya Sabha as RJD MP. Later, he became the most influential figure in RJD after Tejashwi.
Sanjay is also known for several key political interventions, including advising that RJD posters feature only Tejashwi to counter ‘jungle raj’ barbs, pushing the promise of 10 lakh government jobs in 2020, and trying to broaden the party’s appeal beyond its Muslim–Yadav base. He also urged Tejashwi to take a softer line on Nitish Kumar’s return to the NDA, a departure from the sharp criticism seen in 2017.
Earlier, during the RJD's Bihar Adhikar Yatra this year, Rohini Acharya, without naming Sanjay Yadav, had slammed him for his alleged overreach in the party.
On Saturday, she named Sanjay and Rameez for her ouster from her parents’ family.
Rameez Nemath, according to a post retweeted by Rohini Acharya, is an associate of Sanjay Yadav.
Rameez hails from Balrampur in Uttar Pradesh. He is a former first-class cricketer, who has reportedly played for Jharkhand.
Rameez is also considered close to Tejashwi Yadav, who himself is a former IPL and first-class cricketer.
After she faced backlash, her estranged brother Tej Pratap Yadav came out in her defence and lent his support, warning ‘Jai Chands’ (traitors).