RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav celebrates his 77th birthday
Jun 11, 2024
Patna (Bihar) [India], June 11 : Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) Chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and former Bihar Chief Minister celebrated his 77th birthday at his residence in Patna on Tuesday.
Visuals from the celebratory event showed the veteran leader cutting a cake as his wife and former Chief Minister of Bihar Rabri Devi and daughter.
The birthday cake sported the number 77 to reflect the age of Yadav, who started his political career over four decades ago. He was first elected to the Lok Sabha from Bihar's Chhapra seat in the year 1977.
RJD party workers and supporters danced and celebrated outside his residence here to mark the RJD supremo's birthday. They were spotted outside his residence with a bunch of ladoos, sweets, flowers, khaja (a famous sweet dish) and bouquets. The throng was spotted dancing, celebrating and immensely enjoying on occasion of his birthday.
RJD leader and Lalu Prasad's son Tejashwi Yadav said, "Lalu Prasad is the messiah of the poor...He always fought for the rights of the poor...During his role as Railway Minister, he gave profits of worth Rs 90,000 crore...He gave two to three railway factories to Bihar...Under his leadership, I am hopeful that the party will continue to grow..."
Lalu Prasad Yadav is a prominent politician in India, primarily Bihar and has a long and eventful political career spanning over four decades. He served as Chief Minister of Bihar for seven years from 1990 to 1997.
He has also served as a Union Railway Minister of India in the Prime Ministership of Manmohan Singh from 2004 to 2009. Lalu Yadav while being Railway Minister had launched the 'Garib Rath Express' which is considered a boon for middle-class train travellers. Garib Rath Express is a fully air-conditioned train with relatively lower fares.
Initially, he was elected as Member of Parliament from Bihar's Chhapra seat (now called Saran) in 1977 and became the youngest MP in the nation.
Despite facing electoral defeats, Lalu Prasad Yadav remained a prominent figure in politics. Throughout his career, Lalu Yadav held various positions, including being an MLA, a chief minister, and a member of both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
In 1997, he established his own party Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), marking a split in Janta Dal. In the 1998 general for the 12th Lok Sabha Lalu won from Madhepura but lost in the 1999 general election to Sharad Yadav. In the 2000 Bihar Legislative Assembly election he won and remained in opposition.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, his party RJD was a part of the grand alliance INDIA in Bihar, led by the Congress party. But in a major setback, RJD won only four Lok Sabha constituencies while its ally Congress won three seats in Bihar.