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Ex-RJD leader's 'jersey cow' remark on Tejashwi's wife triggers row, Lalu's party hits back
Rajballabh Yadav is an old associate of Lalu Yadav. His relations grew sore with RJD after his brother Binod Yadav was denied a ticket in Lok Sabha elections.
A former Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader has triggered a row in Bihar with a controversial remark on Tejashwi Yadav's wife. Rajballabh Yadav, who was recently released from jail, made the remark while attacking the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader, questioning the need for him to marry outside the state.
"They only use caste for votes. When it comes to marriage, where did they marry? What was the need to get the marriage done in Haryana or Punjab? Was he getting a woman or a jersey cow? Are there no girls left here," Rajballabh could be heard saying in a video that is getting viral on the internet.
HT.com has not independently verified the authenticity of the video.
According to a report in NDTV, the purported remarks were made at a public meeting in Nardiganj in Nawada district.
Rajballabh Yadav was released from jail last month after nine and a half years, after the Patna High Court acquitted him in a case involving the rape of a minor. He has been in jail for over nine years.
Rajballabh's wife Vibha Devi, the sitting RJD MLA from Nawada, was seen at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally at Gaya last month.
Tejashwi Yadav is married to his schoolmate Rachel Codinho, who is from Chandigarh. After the marriage in 2021, she adopted the name Rajshree Yadav.
The RJD has made a strong objection against the remark. Senior party leader Kaushal Yadav, in a press conference, said the comments were not just an attack on Rajshree Yadav, but on the dignity of the backward and Dalit communities.
An effigy of Rajballabh Yadav was also burnt at Sadbhavna Chowk of Nawada by RJD women's wing workers, led by district president Renu Singh.
The latest controversy in Bihar politics comes days after a political row over viral videos showing unidentified men hurling abuses at PM Modi and his late mother from a Congress event in Darbhanga.
Rajballabh Yadav is an old associate of Tejashwi Yadav's father Lalu Prasad. His relations grew sore with the party leadership when his brother Binod Yadav was denied a ticket in last year's Lok Sabha elections, according to PTI.
