Rabri Devi

Following his arrest in a $280-million corruption scandal, Laloo Yadav resigned his post as the Chief Minister of Bihar and named his wife Rabri Devi as his successor - a junior school dropout who was married to Laloo Yadav at the age of fourteen. From being a mother and a simple rustic housewife, she was catapulted to lead the nation's second most populous state and also hold other important portfolios such as Cabinet Secretariat & Co-ordination, Home, Finance, Personnel and Administrative Reforms, Civil Aviation and all such other departments which are not allotted to others.

Born 1959

Married - Mr. Laloo Prasad, the former Chief Minister of Bihar (1990-1997), in 1973 at the age of 14

Education – Junior School dropout

Children - Nine

Previous Occupation/s – Mothering and housewife. No experience in government, politics or business.

Party - Rashtriya Janata Dal party (RJD).

Other portfolios held - Cabinet Secretariat & Co-ordination, Home, Finance, Personnel and Administrative Reforms, Civil Aviation and all such other departments which are not allotted to others

Rabri Devi became the 30th Chief Minister of Bihar, on 11th March, 2000. This is her 3rd term as Chief Minister of Bihar. Her first term lasted for a little over 18 months from July 25, 1997 to February 12, 1999 and the second term lasted just about 12 months from March 9, 1999 to March 3, 2000.

Rabri Devi and her husband Laloo Prasad Yadav, in one order or the other, have been the first couple of India’s second most populous and least literate states, for over a decade. During their twelve–or-so year rule over 85 million people in Bihar, Rabri Devi’s former Chief Minister husband Laloo Prasad Yadav has been in and out of jail on corruption charges, and caste-related crime and violence, poverty, and lawlessness have increased. Caste killings and massacres remain unabated.

Following his arrest in a $280-million corruption scandal – where the state was billed for 20 years for the upkeep of imaginary cattle livestock – Laloo Yadav, one of India's most controversial politicians, resigned his post as the Chief Minister and named his wife as his successor, challenging the nation that he would be the de facto Chief Minister and rule from behind the bars. "He has said that he will follow the lead of other imprisoned Indian politicians and use a mobile phone from jail to continue running the state." – John F Burns (writing in the New York Times). According to Burns he also tried to reassure the reporters by telling them that they should not worry. "I will train her in two days," he said.

1 Anne Marg, the official residence of the Chief Minister was an extensive estate that has been turned into a rustic estate complete with fields of grain, vegetable gardens, fishponds, poultry and a 50 strong cattle livestock shed. "We have always sold milk," explained Rabri Devi to a group of ladies visiting her at the official residence.

Rabri Devi, the school dropout Chief Minister is, by her own confession, "I am a mother first. That is my first priority. I always find time for my children. Then I make time for my other work." She now tends to use her residential office more than the official one – hence providing more ‘fodder’ for criticism (she is reported to sign official documents with her thumbprint.) She has been accused of incompetence, complacency, and lack of leadership. When she first took over as Chief Minister, she added 74 ministers to her government to subdue their complaints. "The day Rabri Devi can name all of her 76 ministers and their portfolios, I will quit politics," says the BJP opposition leader in Bihar, Sushil Modi. Defending charges of inefficiency, Rabri Devi says, "We have had four elections in four years. Thanks to the recent panchayat elections, no work could be done for four months. Then came the rains and the floods. How can any work go on under these circumstances?"

In 50 years, Bihar has had 30 chief ministers. Laloo was the first chief minister in Bihar since 1961 to complete a term of 5 years. The forty years between the time of Shrikrishna Singh, who left office after a tenure of 8 years and 9 months on January 31, 1961 – and the time Laloo Yadav came to power, saw the tenure of 23 Chief Ministers and several instances of President’s Rule in the State. Most of the 23 Chief Ministers lasted only a few months.

Bihar was once a seat of learning with a flourishing and a world-renowned University at Nalanda during 5^th to 12^th century AD. The same state today is the least literate among Indian States and is ridden with caste and gender crime. Almost 70% of the women in the State are illiterate and so are 40% of the men.

According to Alastair Lawson – South Asia analyst for the BBC –"Although the opposition parties have frequently criticised what they see as the absurdity surrounding her appointment, Mr Yadav himself argues her case is no more unusual than that of India's other political dynasty, the Nehru-Gandhi family."

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