What about Manoj Tiwari, Ravi Kishan?: Rohini Acharya slams BJP for calling RJD's Khesari Lal Yadav 'nachaniya'

Rohini Acharya with her father Lalu Yadav and mother Rabri Devi (File photo)

Rohini Acharya, the elder daughter of Lalu Prasad Yadav, has hit back at the BJP for mocking Bhojpuri actor and newly-inducted Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) candidate Khesari Lal Yadav. The BJP had dismissed the RJD’s choice for the Chapra Assembly seat, calling him a “nachaniya” (dancer), and suggesting that he posed no real political challenge.

In response, Acharya fired a sharp counterattack, turning the same label toward several BJP leaders with film backgrounds. “BJP people are calling Khesari Yadav a nachaniya. But what about the people in their party? Manoj Tiwari, Ravi Kishan, Hema Malini, aren't they dancers too?” she said, also naming actor and BJP MP Kangana Ranaut in her remarks.

Her comments have further intensified the ongoing exchange between the RJD and BJP, with both sides accusing each other of bringing down the tone of political debate as Bihar heads into elections.

Khesari Lal Yadav, one of the most popular figures in Bhojpuri cinema, joined the RJD recently and is contesting from Chapra. Upon joining, he said, “I have always strived to ensure that just as I am raising my children in Mumbai, providing them with good schools and hospitals, the future of the children of Bihar should be as secure as ours, and our children should not have to go to other states. So a change is needed, and I want to contribute to that change.” He also expressed his desire to help “brother” Tejashwi Yadav in “steering Bihar toward development.”

While Rohini Acharya defended the RJD’s choice, she clarified that she herself has no political aspirations. Calling the talk of her returning to active politics “baseless rumours,” she emphasised she was not seeking any role. Acharya had contested the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Saran but lost to BJP’s Rajiv Pratap Rudy.

Among Lalu Yadav and Rabri Devi’s children, several have been involved in politics -- Misa Bharti supports Tejashwi Yadav, while Acharya is seen as closer to Tej Pratap. The daughter who once donated a kidney to her father has also, at times, voiced her discontent over Lalu Yadav’s preference for Tejashwi.

As the political temperature rises in Bihar, voting will take place in two phases -- on November 6 and November 11 -- with counting scheduled for November 14.