PATNA: RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav on Sunday returned to Patna after spending 21 days at a Mumbai hospital where he underwent surgery for fistula and had treatment for a host of ailments he has been suffering from.
The 70-year-old leader, who is currently out of jail on a six-week provisional bail, was greeted by hundreds of party workers and leaders upon his arrival at Patna airport. He was accompanied by his elder daughter Misa Bharti, a Rajya Sabha member, and RJD legislator Bhola Yadav, who is one of his trusted aides.
“He (Lalu) is much better now. He has been advised bed rest for at least three months and to keep a close watch of his diabetes,” said Misa Bharti.
The RJD chief, who has been sentenced to jail terms for 27 years and a half following his conviction in four cases of Bihar’s Rs 1,000-crore fodder scam in the past few months, did not speak to reporters. Under the bail conditions laid down by Jharkhand High Court, he is barred from speaking to media and engaging in political activities.
His provisional bail for six weeks granted by Jharkhand HC on May 11 on medical grounds was extended by a further six-week period on June 29. He was released on bail from Birsa Munda Central Jail in Ranchi on a three-day parole on May 10 to attend his elder son Tej Pratap Yadav’s wedding.
The RJD chief had left for Mumbai on June 17, six days after his 70th birthday, and underwent the surgery for fistula at Asian Heart Institute on June 24, said family sources.
He suffers from a number of health complications including diabetes, heart problems, kidney infection, high blood pressure and hypertension. He had undergone an open heart surgery in August 2014.
“Now that he is feeling much better, he will pay attention to reports of a widening rift between his two sons and try to erase all their misgivings,” said a family insider. Tej Pratap is believed to be unhappy about efforts by two leaders to tarnish his image among voters of his Assembly constituency of Mahua.