Rohini Acharya, daughter of RJD chief Lalu Prasad, ignited a political uproar in Patna following the party’s poor performance, severing ties with the family and accusing “outsiders of misguiding and weakening the family.”
After the Bihar Assembly elections, she announced that she is quitting politics and claimed she was abused, humiliated, and even assaulted by her family.
The focus meanwhile quickly shifted to Rameez Nemat Khan.
Rameez, 39, a former first-class cricketer from Balrampur in Uttar Pradesh, is one of the “outsiders” mentioned by Rohini. The other is RJD Rajya Sabha member from Haryana, Sanjay Yadav. He is regarded as the “political brain” behind Tejashwi Yadav, Rohini Acharya’s brother.
Rameez is the son-in-law of Rizwan Zaheer. Zaheer is a Balrampur politician allegedly with a criminal past. He is currently in jail for murder. Rameez and his wife, Zeba Rizwan, were reportedly charged in the same case. They were arrested in 2022 but later granted bail.
According to reports, in 2024, Rameez was arrested again under the Gangsters Act.
He received bail only in April 2025, according to Balrampur police. Soon after his release, he entered Bihar politics to support a friend.
A national newspaper reported that it was cricket that brought Rameez closer to Tejashwi Yadav. Both played age-group cricket in Delhi and Jharkhand. Rameez captained the Jharkhand U-22 team in 2008-09. Their friendship drew him into Tejashwi’s political circle.
By 2016, he officially joined the RJD.
Insiders revealed to the newspaper that he quietly managed key responsibilities. He handled Tejashwi’s personal social media and some campaign teams.
Rameez was born in 1986 in Tulsipur, Balrampur. He moved to Delhi early. He studied at DPS, Mathura Road. Later, he earned a BA and MBA from Jamia Millia Islamia, where his father, NU Khan, was a professor. Tejashwi Yadav studied at DPS, Vasant Vihar.
His political influence grew through his marriage to Zeba, daughter of Rizwan Zaheer. Zaheer served twice as MP from Balrampur. Rameez’s political career has been filled with controversies.
In the 2021 district panchayat elections in Tulsipur, he was reportedly accused of assaulting Congress functionary Deepankar Singh and his associates.
In 2022, Rameez, along with Zeba, his father-in-law, and three others, was arrested in a conspiracy case linked to the murder of Firoz Pappu, former Tulsipur Nagar panchayat president. His name later appeared in the 2023 murder of Pratapgarh contractor Mohammad Shakeel Ahmed.
A year later, the Uttar Pradesh administration also seized land worth Rs 4.75 crore in connection with him, and local relatives of victims publicly criticised Tejashwi Yadav for sheltering him.
Records show Rameez faces 10 cases in Balrampur and two in Kaushambi. NSA cases against him in 2021 and 2022 by the Balrampur administration have been quashed.
According to the report, a probe is pending in one case, while chargesheets have been filed in eight others, covering two murders, one attempt to murder, two Gangsters Act offenses, extortion, and one case of cheating.
Zeba has been named in three cases, including murder, a Gangsters Act offense, and cheating. Both she and Rameez were granted bail and are currently out of jail.
They also approached the Supreme Court, which directed local authorities to seek permission from the local court before attempting any arrests or initiating new trials.
Rizwan Zaheer, currently in Lalitpur jail, has been named in 20 cases. He was acquitted in 12, one had a final police report filed, and seven have pending chargesheets.
Previously believed to be involved in cross-border illegal trade, he first entered politics in 1993. His name also appeared in the Bahraich riot cases in October 2024.
Rizwan’s electoral record includes two victories as SP candidate from Balrampur in 1998 and 1999. He won the Tulsipur assembly seat three times: as an Independent in 1989, as an SP candidate in 1993, and on a BSP ticket in 1996.
He briefly rejoined BSP in 2019 but did not contest elections and returned to SP in 2022. Zeba also unsuccessfully contested the Tulsipur assembly seat as an Independent in 2022.
Earlier, Rohini’s brother Tej Pratap Yadav had been expelled from the family and RJD, later forming his own party, which suffered a heavy defeat. RJD’s performance in the 2025 Bihar elections was dismal, winning only 25 seats out of 140 contested, while NDA partners swept the state. BJP leaders reacted, calling it an internal family matter but warning that such internal disputes reflect poorly on RJD.
Also Read: Lalu Yadav Family Feud: Spotlight Turns To Rohini’s Husband Samaresh Singh https://www.vibesofindia.com/lalu-yadav-family-feud-spotlight-turns-to-rohinis-husband-samaresh-singh/
