Tej Pratap sets up shop for pooja items under ‘LR’ brand

Tej Pratap, a former health minister of Bihar, was in news in 2018 when he made a second attempt at launching his acting career with a Bollywood movie Rudra: The Avatar.

PATNA: Tej Pratap Yadav, the elder son of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad, has set up a shop selling items used in pooja (worshipping) rituals like incense sticks, sandal wood, perfume and Radhe-Krishna idols, which he has named as LR Radhe Krishna.

LR Radhe Krishna office-cum-shop is spread around 400 square feet adjacent to the famous cowshed owned by Lalu Prasad in Danapur. (HT Photo/Santosh Kumar)

“The initials LR stand for Largest Reach, but it is commonly associated with Lalu-Rabri,” said Abhishek Chowbey, manager of the LR Radhe Krishna office-cum-shop spread, around 400 square feet in area, adjacent to the famous cowshed owned by Lalu Prasad in Danapur.

Tej Pratap could not be reached for his comment.

While Lalu Prasad’s younger son and leader of opposition in Bihar, Tejashwi Yadav, is RJD’s heir apparent, Tej Pratap is known to be a staunch follower of Lord Krishna and prefers to spend time at Mathura. “Although he rarely visits the shop, he keep a tab on the business,” said Chowbey, who has been associated with the Hasanpur MLA for the last three years. “The business started in March, but had to be shuttered due to lockdown,” he said.

“The incense sticks are made from flowers collected from temples and extracts from coconut leaves instead of bamboo. Maybe that’s why its price is high,” he says.

In 2018, Tej Pratap, a former health minister of Bihar, was in news when he made a second attempt at launching his acting career with a Bollywood movie Rudra: The Avatar. The film is yet to be completed. He had earlier played the role of Bihar chief minister in a 2016 Bhojpuri film, Apaharan Udyog.

This is not the first time products have been branded in Lalu’s name.

In 2007, a diehard Lalu fan, Satish Singh, proprietor of Prakash Agro Industries, started manufacturing cattle feed called Lalu Pashu Aahar to be sold in international market. Singh’s industry was producing somewhere between 5300-5400 tonnes of cattle feed every month under the brand names Lalu Super, Lalu Bypass and Lalu Super Bypass.

Singh later also applied for the sale of detergent powder in the name of Lalu Prasad the product lost way as the RJD chief lost power.

In the past, saloons offering “Lalu-style” haircut, cosmetic boxes under the brand name of “Lalu Chale Sasural”, Lalu doll and Lalu chocolates have been common.

“Lalu’s name still sells in rural Bihar. So what Tej Pratap is doing is not surprising. You cannot deny the acceptability of his name among the rural folks,” says Sambhu Singh, a retired government official.

The BJP, meanwhile, was quick to take a dig. “Best wishes to Tej Pratap for his new business venture. The way he has been sidelined in the party, it’s good that he is looking for an alternative. Tejashwi can feel relieved because he is the worst victim of his brother’s tantrums,” said BJP spokesperson Nikhil Ananad.