Family dispute will be resolved inside house, Lalu tells party cadre

Patna: Amid an escalating family dispute that has now spilled into the public domain, RJD chief Lalu Prasad on Monday urged party workers and leaders to concentrate on strengthening the organisation, assuring them that the family matter would be resolved “inside the house”.Lalu, accompanied by his wife Rabri Devi and elder daughter Misa Bharti, addressed a meeting of the party’s legislators and candidates convened after the election. While speaking to them, he said whatever had transpired was a family issue and he would resolve it. He added that he had already handed over the charge to Tejashwi, who would henceforth take care of the party. During the meeting, Tejashwi was also chosen as the leader of the RJD legislators.The internal rift became public after Lalu’s second daughter, Rohini Acharya, levelled allegations against Tejashwi’s aide Sanjay Yadav and Rameez Nemat Khan, blaming them for the party’s poor performance and accusing them of verbally abusing her and throwing a slipper at her. She announced that she was quitting the party and disowning her family. She later clarified that her parents and sisters supported her and had been in tears when she was allegedly mistreated.The situation intensified further when, on Sunday night, three more of Lalu’s daughters left their Patna home.