NEW DELHI: While Tejashwi Yadav is emerging as a prominent face of opposition against the Nitish Kumar-led NDA government of Bihar, RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav 's eldest son has once again led the party and the family into chaos.
A day after Tej Pratap "confessed" to his 12-year-long relationship with a woman through a Facebook post and later claimed his account was hacked, Lalu on Saturday ostracised his son from the party for six years and disowned him from the family.
"Ignoring moral values in personal life weakens our collective struggle for social justice. The activities, public conduct, and irresponsible behavior of the eldest son are not in accordance with our family values and traditions. 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," Lalu said in a social media post on X.
"He is capable of seeing the good and bad, and the merits and demerits of his personal life. All those who will have relations with him should take their own decisions. I have always been an advocate of public shame in public life. The obedient members of the family have adopted and followed this idea in public life," he added.
However, this is not the first time Tej Pratap's personal life has rocked the family. His marriage and subsequent divorce also made headlines a few years back.
Marriage with Aiswarya Rai
Tej Pratap married Aishwarya Rai, the granddaughter of former Bihar chief minister Daroga Prasad Rai, in 2018. However, within five months of marriage, Tej Pratap filed for divorce.
The separation led to a high-profile legal battle, political and personal drama, with her father, former minister Chandrika Roy, quitting the RJD and vowing to fight for his daughter both "politically and legally."
Later, Aishwarya also alleged that her husband was a drug addict and often dressed up like Radha, Krishna, and Shiva, claiming to be their avatar.
"Tej used to dress up like Lord Radha and Krishna. Soon after my wedding, I discovered that he used to dress up like gods and goddesses. Not only this, once after consuming drugs, Tej wore a 'ghagra' (long skirt) and 'choli' (blouse) and dressed up like goddess Radha. He also wore makeup and a hair wig," Aishwarya alleged in her complaint.
Aishwarya claimed that when she confronted Tej and asked him to stop using drugs and dressing up like this, he responded: "Ganja toh Bhole Baba ka prasad hai, usko kaise mana karein? (Marijuana is Lord Shiva's offering; how can I refuse it?)"
Aishwarya said in her complaint that she tried to bring the issue to her in-laws’ attention, but they did not help her in any way.
"I did talk to my mother-in-law and sister-in-law regarding Tej's behavior, and they assured me that he wouldn't act that way anymore. My in-laws consoled me emotionally, but Tej's behavior did not change at all," she said.
Fallout from RJD
In 2019, just before the general elections, Tej Pratap Yadav formed a new party named after his parents, titled the "Lalu-Rabri Morcha," after resigning from his post in the RJD in protest against the party's decision to field his father-in-law, Chandrika Rai, from the Saran constituency.
The rift was later reconciled, and Tej Pratap was eventually persuaded to fall in line under the party’s campaign slogan: "Tej Raftaar, Tejashwi Sarkar."
He later acknowledged his younger brother’s leadership, saying, "Didn’t you see his statement? He’s my Krishna, and I’m his Arjun."
Following the 2019 elections, Tej Pratap withdrew from the public eye and was later seen in Vrindavan, draped in yellow robes, seemingly immersed in devotion and remembrance of his deity, Lord Krishna.
'True embodiment of Lalu Prasad's Jungle Raj era'
Apart from this, Tej Pratap has also been accused of being a "true embodiment of Lalu Prasad's Jungle Raj era" by the opponents. The rivals claim he has mistreated both police personnel and his own party workers on several occasions.
In March this year, Tej Pratap Yadav ordered a police constable to dance during a Holi celebration to avoid suspension.
In the video, Tej Pratap, seated on a stage, is heard telling the uniformed officer, "Ae sipahi, Deepak, ek gana bajayenge, uspe tumko thumka lagana hai. Bura mat mano, Holi hai. Aaj nahi thumka lagaoge toh suspend kar diye jaoge. (Hey constable Deepak, we’ll play a song and you have to dance to it. Don’t mind, it’s Holi. If you don’t dance today, you’ll be suspended)." He then adds, "Bura mat maano, Holi hai," before beginning to sing a Holi song.
Yadav also rode a scooter near the chief minister’s residence, shouting "Happy Holi Paltu Chacha," a remark aimed at Nitish for aligning and parting ways with the RJD twice in the past.
During the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Tej Pratap lost his cool and pushed his own party worker while celebrating Misa Bharti's nomination for Patliputra Lok Sabha constituency in Bihar.
A day after Tej Pratap "confessed" to his 12-year-long relationship with a woman through a Facebook post and later claimed his account was hacked, Lalu on Saturday ostracised his son from the party for six years and disowned him from the family.
"Ignoring moral values in personal life weakens our collective struggle for social justice. The activities, public conduct, and irresponsible behavior of the eldest son are not in accordance with our family values and traditions. 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," Lalu said in a social media post on X.
"He is capable of seeing the good and bad, and the merits and demerits of his personal life. All those who will have relations with him should take their own decisions. I have always been an advocate of public shame in public life. The obedient members of the family have adopted and followed this idea in public life," he added.
However, this is not the first time Tej Pratap's personal life has rocked the family. His marriage and subsequent divorce also made headlines a few years back.
Marriage with Aiswarya Rai
Tej Pratap married Aishwarya Rai, the granddaughter of former Bihar chief minister Daroga Prasad Rai, in 2018. However, within five months of marriage, Tej Pratap filed for divorce.
The separation led to a high-profile legal battle, political and personal drama, with her father, former minister Chandrika Roy, quitting the RJD and vowing to fight for his daughter both "politically and legally."
Later, Aishwarya also alleged that her husband was a drug addict and often dressed up like Radha, Krishna, and Shiva, claiming to be their avatar.
"Tej used to dress up like Lord Radha and Krishna. Soon after my wedding, I discovered that he used to dress up like gods and goddesses. Not only this, once after consuming drugs, Tej wore a 'ghagra' (long skirt) and 'choli' (blouse) and dressed up like goddess Radha. He also wore makeup and a hair wig," Aishwarya alleged in her complaint.
Aishwarya claimed that when she confronted Tej and asked him to stop using drugs and dressing up like this, he responded: "Ganja toh Bhole Baba ka prasad hai, usko kaise mana karein? (Marijuana is Lord Shiva's offering; how can I refuse it?)"
Aishwarya said in her complaint that she tried to bring the issue to her in-laws’ attention, but they did not help her in any way.
"I did talk to my mother-in-law and sister-in-law regarding Tej's behavior, and they assured me that he wouldn't act that way anymore. My in-laws consoled me emotionally, but Tej's behavior did not change at all," she said.
Fallout from RJD
In 2019, just before the general elections, Tej Pratap Yadav formed a new party named after his parents, titled the "Lalu-Rabri Morcha," after resigning from his post in the RJD in protest against the party's decision to field his father-in-law, Chandrika Rai, from the Saran constituency.
The rift was later reconciled, and Tej Pratap was eventually persuaded to fall in line under the party’s campaign slogan: "Tej Raftaar, Tejashwi Sarkar."
He later acknowledged his younger brother’s leadership, saying, "Didn’t you see his statement? He’s my Krishna, and I’m his Arjun."
Following the 2019 elections, Tej Pratap withdrew from the public eye and was later seen in Vrindavan, draped in yellow robes, seemingly immersed in devotion and remembrance of his deity, Lord Krishna.
'True embodiment of Lalu Prasad's Jungle Raj era'
Apart from this, Tej Pratap has also been accused of being a "true embodiment of Lalu Prasad's Jungle Raj era" by the opponents. The rivals claim he has mistreated both police personnel and his own party workers on several occasions.
In March this year, Tej Pratap Yadav ordered a police constable to dance during a Holi celebration to avoid suspension.
In the video, Tej Pratap, seated on a stage, is heard telling the uniformed officer, "Ae sipahi, Deepak, ek gana bajayenge, uspe tumko thumka lagana hai. Bura mat mano, Holi hai. Aaj nahi thumka lagaoge toh suspend kar diye jaoge. (Hey constable Deepak, we’ll play a song and you have to dance to it. Don’t mind, it’s Holi. If you don’t dance today, you’ll be suspended)." He then adds, "Bura mat maano, Holi hai," before beginning to sing a Holi song.
Yadav also rode a scooter near the chief minister’s residence, shouting "Happy Holi Paltu Chacha," a remark aimed at Nitish for aligning and parting ways with the RJD twice in the past.
During the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Tej Pratap lost his cool and pushed his own party worker while celebrating Misa Bharti's nomination for Patliputra Lok Sabha constituency in Bihar.
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