Chandrashekhar Yadav (born 1962) is an Indian politician from Bihar.[1] He is an MLA from Madhepura Assembly constituency and also served as a Minister of Education in the Government of Bihar. He won the 2020 Bihar Legislative Assembly election representing the Rashtriya Janata Dal.
Chandrashekhar Yadav | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Bihar Legislative Assembly | |
| Assumed office 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Manindra Kumar Mandal |
| Constituency | Madhepura |
| Minister of Education Government of Bihar | |
| In office August 2022 – January 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Vijay Kumar Chaudhary |
| Succeeded by | Alok Kumar Mehta |
| Minister of Sugarcane Industries Government of Bihar | |
| In office January 2024 – January 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Alok Kumar Mehta |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Madhepura, Bihar |
| Political party | Rashtriya Janata Dal |
| Residence(s) | Patna, Bihar |
| Profession | Professor |
Early life and education
editYadav is from Madhepura, Bihar. He is the son of Anirudh Prasad Yadav. He is a lecturer. He completed his B.Com. in 1981 at College of Commerce, Magadh University, Bodhgaya and later did his post graduation in 1985 at Kanpur University, Kanpur.[2]
Career
editYadav first became an MLA winning the 2010 Bihar Legislative Assembly election. Earlier, he lost the 2005 election as an independent and subsequently joined RJD in 2010. He is recognized for his advocacy on behalf of farmers' rights, he played a role in establishing Food Corporation of India centers in the Kosi and Madhepura regions in 1990s.
He won the 2020 Bihar Legislative Assembly election representing the Rashtriya Janata Dal from Madhepura Assembly constituency. He polled 79,839 votes and defeated his nearest rival, Nikhil Mandal of JDU by a margin of 15,072 votes. He served as education minister in the Nitish Kumar government from August 2022. Earlier, he served as Minister of Disaster Management, Bihar from 2015 to 2017. In January 2024, he became the Sugarcane Industries Department Minister.[3]
Controversies
editOn 14 September 2023, Chandra Shekhar stirred a controversy at an event on Hindi Diwas as he compared the Hindu religious book Ramcharitmanas to potassium cyanide, a poisonous compound.[4] He allegedly raised his voice against few paragraphs of Hindu mythology book "Ramcharitra Manas", which according to him is oppressive against Dalits, and these paragraphs should be revised. "If you serve 56 kinds of good dishes and mix potassium cyanide into them would you eat them, he reportedly questioned referring to some controversial paragraphs of Ramcharitra manas which is against backward and dalit castes. And said, "The same analogy applies to the Ramcharitramanas," he said.[5] Shekhar’s party colleagues backed his statement saying that RJD party's ideology is of social justice. However RJD's ally Janata Dal United (JDU) said that it disapproves of such comments.[6]
References
edit- ^ "Chandra Shekhar(RJD):Constituency- MADHEPURA(MADHEPURA) - Affidavit Information of Candidate:". myneta.info. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
- ^ "Chandra Shekhar(RJD):Constituency- MADHEPURA(MADHEPURA) - Affidavit Information of Candidate:". www.myneta.info. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
- ^ "नीतीश सरकार में दोबारा मंत्री बने राजद के प्रोफेसर चंद्रशेखर, मधेपुरा सदर से लगातार तीसरी बार हैं विधायक". Hindustan (in Hindi). Retrieved 14 March 2023.
- ^ Scroll Staff (15 September 2023). "RJD's Chandra Shekhar compares Ramcharitmanas to potassium cyanide, stirs row". Scroll.in. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
- ^ "'Ramcharitmanas Is Like Potassium Cyanide': Bihar Minister Chandra Shekhar's Controversial Statement Draws BJP's Ire". Free Press Journal. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
- ^ Scroll Staff (15 September 2023). "RJD's Chandra Shekhar compares Ramcharitmanas to potassium cyanide, stirs row". Scroll.in. Retrieved 16 September 2023.