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JD(U) attacks Lalu Yadav after Tej Pratap fiasco: ‘When daughter-in-law was thrown out…’
Tej Pratap's wife Aishwarya Rai left his home within months of their 2018 marriage, accusing him and his family of mistreatment.
Bihar's ruling JD(U) reacted sharply to Tej Pratap Yadav's dramatic expulsion from his father Lalu Prasad Yadav's RJD and the family, asking the former CM about his conscience when Daroga Rai's granddaughter, Aishwarya Rai, was thrown out of their house.
The question came about Tej Pratap's ex-wife Aishwarya, who left his home within months of their marriage. She alleged that Tej Pratap and his family were mistreating her.
RJD chief Lalu Yadav expelled his son from the party and the family after a post on Tej Pratap's Facebook page showed him with a woman who was referred to as his 'partner' in the caption.
‘Political spectacle’
JD(U) leader Neeraj Kumar raised questions over Lalu Yadav's "newfound conscience", news agency ANI reported. He asked, "This is a matter of Lalu Prasad Yadav's family. When the granddaughter of Bihar's famous politician Daroga Prasad Rai was thrown out of the house, did your (Lalu Yadav's) culture not awaken, and today your conscience has awakened?"
He mocked the contradictory statements within the Yadav family and asked what kind of "cat-and-mouse game" they were playing when Tejashwi Yadav said that Tej Pratap was "our elder brother". Neeraj Kumar termed this as a political spectacle.
He referred to the ongoing row over the cultural stance of the RJD and said, "Respecting daughters has been the culture of this country - not just the politics of Bihar."
Senior JD(U) leader KC Tyagi also reacted to the controversy and said that a public figure cannot be ethical in politics if they are immoral in their private life.
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"In public life, if you are immoral in your private life, you cannot be ethical in politics - this is the result of that. First, Bihar was ruined; now the family is being ruined. In politics, people's private and public lives are not separate," Tyagi was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Tej Pratap expelled from RJD
Tej Pratap's expulsion came after his Facebook post led to major reactions on social media, with netizens recalling his marital dispute with Aishwarya.
However, after the viral post, the expelled leader claimed that his Facebook account was hacked. In an X post, he alleged that there was a deliberate attempt to "defame and harass" him and his family. He claimed that his social media accounts were compromised and his photos had been maliciously edited.
In a lavish 2018 wedding, the RJD chief's son married Aishwarya Rai (Aishwarya Roy), the granddaughter of former CM Daroga Prasad Rai. Within months, she left Tej Pratap's house, accusing him and his family of mistreatment.
Aishwarya's father, former minister Chandrika Roy, left RJD and promised to pursue the matter in court and politics as well.
ALSO READ | Who is Tej Pratap Yadav? Lalu’s ousted son and ‘Aishwarya Rai’s’ ex-husband in row over ‘partner of 12 years’
Their divorce proceedings are reportedly ongoing, with serious allegations being thrown from both sides.
Why was Tej Pratap expelled from RJD?
Lalu Yadav said Tej Pratap Yadav was expelled from the party and the family because the "activities, public conduct and irresponsible behaviour of the eldest son are not in accordance with our family values and traditions".
In a strongly worded statement on X, Lalu wrote, "Ignoring moral values in personal life weakens our collective struggle for social justice."
"Therefore, due to the above circumstances, I remove him from the party and family. From now on, he will not have any role of any kind in the party and family. He is expelled from the party for 6 years. He is capable of seeing the good and bad and merits and demerits of his personal life," he added.
The RJD chief advised that all those who will have relations with Tej Pratap should make their own decision. "I have always been an advocate of probity in public life. The obedient members of the family have adopted and followed this idea in public life," he added.
