Lalu Prasad returns after kidney transplant in Singapore

Sources say RJD chief is well and is able to stand and walk on his own

Lalu Prasad with his daughter Rohini Acharya in Singapore.: PTI picture

Dev Raj   |   TT  |  Patna   |  12.02.23 : RJD chief Lalu Prasad returned to Delhi from Singapore on Saturday evening after being away for around two-and-a-half months to undergo a kidney transplant.

Lalu had left for Singapore in the last week of November and undergone the surgery on December 5 at Mount Elizabeth Hospital. His daughter Rohini Acharya donated the kidney to him. His stay was prolonged to facilitate recuperation.

“The doctors have said that papa (Lalu) has to be protected from infection. They have forbidden him from meeting many people. They have suggested that he and those who come to meet him should wear masks,” Acharya tweeted and appealed to everybody to take the necessary precautions while meeting the RJD chief.

Acharya added that she was sending Lalu back after discharging her duty as a daughter and it should be the responsibility of everybody to keep him well.

Lalu was seen being shifted on a wheelchair at the Singapore and Delhi airports. Sources close to him said he was well and was able to stand and walk on his own.

“He will stay at his eldest daughter and Rajya Sabha member Misa Bharti’s residence in Delhi for better medical care till the time doctors allow him to venture out or visit Patna or elsewhere. Madam (Lalu’s wife Rabri Devi) is also here. Many party colleagues from Bihar have come to meet him,” a senior RJD leader told The Telegraph on the condition of anonymity.

“Preparations have been made to implement the instructions of Singapore doctors to reduce the chances of infection. Some of the people coming to meet Lalu will be allowed to see and talk to him from a distance,” the RJD leader added.

Considered among the biggest mass leaders of Bihar, Lalu’s return comes at a time the political parties are gearing up for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. There are talks of Opposition unity and he could play an important role in bringing them together.

Lalu is one of the Opposition leaders who favours the Congress as an important part of any Opposition alliance. His presence will be a shot in the arm for the Congress as well.