Bihar: Tej Pratap reaches out to family, says ‘Jaichands’ played politics

Tej Pratap Yadav also vowed that his bond with his younger brother Tejashwi ( referred as Arjun) is unbreakable and those trying to separate them would fail at all costs

PATNA: A week after his expulsion from the party for his alleged “irresponsible behaviour”, former Bihar minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav’s elder son Tej Pratap Yadav on Sunday came out with an emotive post addressed to his parents seeking “trust and love” and also taking a jibe at his detractors, saying some of the “Jaichands” have done politics with him for their “greed”.

Tej Pratap Yadav.

“My dear Mom and Dad... you mean the world to me and your decision is bigger than God..if you are there with me, I have everything. I only need your trust and love and nothing else. Dad, if you were not there, this party would not have existed, nor would have some ‘Jachands’ done politics with me for their greed. I only want you both to be happy and healthy,” Yadav said in a post on X.

It is believed that the Hasanpur MLA’s “Jaichand” barb (used for traitors in political context) is an oblique attack on the new leadership in the party, who are considered close to his younger brother and leader of the Opposition, Tejashwi Prasad Yadav.

In the past, Tej Pratap had hit out against many new leaders in the party, including some of the close confidantes of Tejashwi, accusing them of ruining the party and trying to sideline him by ignoring his loyalists.

There was also a faceoff between Tej Pratap and RJD state president Jagdanand Singh, considered a mentor of Tejashwi, a couple of years ago.

In another post, Tej Pratap also vowed that his bond with his younger brother Tejashwi ( referred as Arjun) is unbreakable and those trying to separate them would fail at all costs. “ Nobody can separate me from my Arjun (read Tejashwi). You can take the army of Krishna but not Krishna himself. I will soon expose the conspiracy .. Have faith on me brother. I am with you and my blessings are with you,” Yadav said, implying that some of the loyalists considered close to Tejashwi were in handiwork to create friction between the two brothers.

The posts have come a week after 37-year-old Tej Pratap Yadav triggered a controversy after he reportedly posted some pictures with a woman on his X handle and claimed having a relationship with her for 12 years. Later he deleted the posts and claimed his account was hacked.

Tej Pratap was married to Aishwariya Rai, granddaughter of former chief minister Daroga Prasad Rai, on May 14, 2018, but their relationship strained. He has been facing a divorce case with her in the Patna high court.

The RJD chief snubbed Tej Pratap for his “irresponsible and highly unethical conduct” after his social media post and announced his expulsion from the party for six years.

Tejashwi along with his sister Misa Bharti, MP from Patliputra, defended the RJD chief’s decision. “Tej Pratap is my bade bhaiya (elder brother). But he is an adult and he can take his own decisions. Our party chief has already made a decision. As for me, I do not tolerate such things,” Tejashwi said.

The RJD, however, has not issued any formal notice regarding the expulsion of Tej Pratap so far even as some of the party leaders claimed the “process for expulsion was going on”. Party spokespersons have been evasive in giving any official comment on this episode so far.

“The tone and tenor of the post by Tej Pratap only reflects how he is trying to play the emotional card, knowing well any formal issuance of order regarding his expulsion would have an adverse effect on his political career. This is why he is seemingly seeking support from his parents to wriggle out of this difficult situation and remain politically relevant,” said a senior RJD leader, seeking anonymity.