Tejashwi becomes RJD's national working president
Patna (PTI): RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, younger son and heir apparent of the party's founding chief Lalu Prasad, was on Sunday named national working president, in a development that puts a seal of approval on his position in the line of succession.
The 36-year-old leader, who has enjoyed two short tenures as the deputy chief minister of Bihar and is currently the leader of the opposition in the state assembly, was named for the top party post at the RJD's national executive committee meeting held at a city hotel.
Talking to reporters, RJD principal national general secretary Abdul Bari Siddiqui said, "The decision obviously had full approval of Lalu Prasad, without whose assent no decision can be taken in the party. It was a unanimous decision".
"Lalu Prasad ji, who has nurtured the party by touring every nook and corner of Bihar, is now unable to do the same because of old age and ill health. So, even though he would continue to be the national president, it will now be incumbent upon Tejashwi Yadav to expand the party's base, within the state and also outside", said Siddiqui.
The national executive meeting was attended, among others, by Yadav's mother Rabri Devi, a former chief minister herself, and eldest sister Misa Bharti, the MP from Pataliputra, who was also said to have been vying for the working president's post.
Knives had been out for the young leader ever since the party was drubbed in the recently held state assembly polls, winning only 25 seats of the 243-strong House.
Yadav, who was the "chief ministerial candidate" of the Mahagathbandhan, was said to have played an instrumental role in giving tickets to RJD aspirants and deciding seat-sharing arrangements with alliance partners, including Congress and the Left.
Addressing the national executive meeting, Yadav insisted that the cadres focus on the positives, pointing out "our alliance garnered 1.90 crore votes in the elections. Never before in the RJD's history have so many people voted for an alliance headed by us".
Taking potshots at Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who heads the JD(U), the RJD leader said, "He was with us till a couple of years ago and the INDIA bloc was conceptualised on Bihar's soil, with leaders across the country agreeing to bury their differences for defeating the BJP".
"Had chacha (uncle/Nitish) not done a volte face and returned to the NDA just ahead of Lok Sabha polls, the BJP-led coalition would not have been able to muster a majority, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi would have been denied another term in office," claimed Yadav.
He added, "Today, in politics, you are left with two options. You either fight Narendra Modi, or you fall at his feet. My path is clear as the blood of Lalu ji flows in my veins. Chacha has chosen to prostrate before Modi, and all of you must have seen his pictures".
The allusion was to a number of occasions, most recent being the swearing in of the new NDA government in Bihar in November last year, when the JD(U) supremo was caught on camera trying to touch the feet of the PM, who is just a few months his senior.
Yadav also took a veiled dig at his elder sister Rohini Acharya, who has been blaming him and his close aides, like Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Yadav, for the RJD's poll debacle.
"There are many people who made no contributions to the party's well-being. But they have lots of ambitions, and they are trying to come up with their own analysis of the party's poor show in polls, which were held immediately after the SIR", said Yadav.
"Nonetheless, Tejashwi is keen to take along all those who remain committed to the party and infuse new vigour in the organisation. Siddiqui ji very aptly mouthed the lyrics of two famous songs, 'Ham honge kamyab ek din' and 'chhodo kal ki baatein, kal ki baat purani, naye daur mein likhenge mil kar nayi kahani'," said the young leader.
Acharya, who had received much public adulation a few years ago when she donated a kidney to her father, who was in need of a transplant, failed to win the Saran Lok Sabha seat in the 2024 elections.
After the assembly polls, she alleged that Yadav and his cohorts grew livid upon her insistence that accountability be fixed for the debacle, and accused her of "donating a filthy kidney", "in exchange for crores of rupees".
She also claimed that abuses were hurled at her and a slipper was flung to hit her, which left her horrified and made her give up politics for good and snap ties with her family.
A doctor by qualification who chose to become a homemaker, settling down with her husband based in Singapore, Acharya, nonetheless, frequently comes up with comments on the goings on in the RJD on her social media profile.
Besides Acharya, another child of the proverbial "first couple" of the RJD, elder son Tej Pratap Yadav, has been estranged. He was expelled from the party several months ago by his father, but understandably at the behest of his younger brother, who is said to have grown uneasy with his volatile temperament.
Tej Pratap Yadav has since floated his own outfit, Janshakti Janata Dal.
Several senior leaders of the NDA had turned up at a feast he threw earlier this month on the occasion of "Makar Sankranti", triggering speculations that he might be thinking of aligning with the BJP-led coalition, which his father has always fought tooth and nail.
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KMES Institutions shine in SSLC result, continue four-decade legacy of education in rural Karkala
Karkala: KMES Institutions of Education at Kukkundooru in Karkala taluk has recorded outstanding results in the 2025-26 SSLC and PUC examinations, continuing a four-decade educational journey that began with just 22 kindergarten students and no building of its own.
The institution secured a 100 per cent result in the SSLC examinations, with all 43 students passing the examination this year.
Muhammad Arman Shahid emerged as the school topper by scoring 619 marks out of 625, securing 99 per cent and also ranking sixth at the state level. He scored full marks in Kannada, Hindi, Mathematics and Social Science.
Krithika V. Nayak secured the second position in the school with 607 marks and 97.12 per cent, while Arhan stood third with 605 marks and 96.8 per cent.
Out of the 43 students, 21 passed with distinction, 19 secured first class, two students obtained second class and one student passed in third class. Fourteen students scored above 90 per cent.
The institution also performed strongly in the PUC examinations. The Science stream recorded a 100 per cent result, with all 44 students passing, while Commerce secured a 98 per cent pass percentage.
Twelve students scored full marks in different subjects, including Mathematics.
In Commerce, Deeksha Acharya topped the college with 588 marks, while Harshitha H. Kini secured the second position with 581 marks.
In Science, Naveen B. Nayak emerged as topper with 586 marks, followed closely by Sameeksha Moily and Aifa Nidha, who both secured 585 marks.
Speaking about the achievement, High School head teacher Shrimati Patkar said the institution has always focused on supporting academically weak students through affordable education and free special classes.
“Our ambition is to provide quality education even to students who struggle in studies. The fees are very low, and free coaching classes are conducted. I have worked here for 28 years and have always found the atmosphere supportive of education,” she said.
Primary School head teacher Lolita Zeena D’Silva appreciated the dedication of the teaching staff and said the school encourages students not only to achieve high marks but also to become role models.
PU College Principal Balakrishna Rao said the institution focuses on value-based education and overall personality development.
“The aim is to help students succeed not only academically but also in cultural activities, sports and leadership. We encourage qualities such as patience, tolerance and discipline,” he said.
Rao also credited the institution’s growth to the support of founders K.S. Mohammed Masood and K.S. Nissar Ahmed, along with President K.S. Imtiaz Ahmed.
Speaking on the occasion, Imtiaz Ahmed said the institution was built on the dream of making quality education accessible to financially backward families in rural areas.
He said the guidance and encouragement of his elder brothers, Mohammed Masood and Nissar Ahmed, along with the contribution of teachers, students and parents, helped transform the institution into a model educational centre.
The KMES Institutions trace their roots back to 1984, when they were founded by senior social activists Haji P.M. Khan, K.S. Nazeer Ahmed and Haji A.S. Rashid Haider.
The institution initially functioned from the Government Urdu School premises as it did not have a building of its own. Classes began with only 22 students in lower kindergarten and two teachers.
Later, under the leadership of K.S. Mohammed Masood and with continuous financial and moral support from non-resident businessman K.S. Nissar Ahmed, the institution gradually expanded.
In 1993, the school shifted to its own building and began conducting classes from LKG to Class 5.
As student admissions increased, Nissar Ahmed personally funded the construction of three additional classrooms to address infrastructure shortages.
The institution’s new school building was completed in 1997, while the PU College building was constructed in 2001.
From humble beginnings in a borrowed building to producing state-level rank holders and consistent academic results, the KMES Institutions have grown into one of the prominent educational centres in the Karkala region.
