Patna: A day after Lalu Yadav’s older son Tej Pratap Yadav quit a party post apparently in protest, his brother Tejashwi Yadav has gone ahead and announced a decision that could widen their rift. Announcing the opposition alliance’s seat pact for Bihar and the RJD’s (Rashtriya Janata Dal) candidates on Friday, Tejashwi Yadav said party leader Chandrika Rai would contest from Saran.
Chandrika Rai is the estranged father-in-law of Tej Pratap Yadav, who filed for divorce in November from the senior leader’s daughter Aishwarya.
Yesterday, the 30-year-old tweeted that he had quit as the RJD’s student wing leader with a cryptic message: “Naive are those who think I am naive. I know exactly who stands where.”
Reports suggest Tej Pratap could contest the national election in Bihar against his father-in-law.
Tejashwi, asked today about his brother Tej Pratap’s tweet, replied with another question: “Didn’t you see his statement that he’s my Krishna and I’m his Arjun?”
RJD sources said Tej Pratap had been stewing over the decision of his brother to field his father-in-law from Saran, a seat which their father Lalu Yadav has won four times.
Tej Pratap felt “insulted and humiliated” and will contest the polls against him as an independent candidate, news agency IANS quoted a party leader as saying.
Tej Pratap Yadav is yet to make an official announcement. He has been adamant on going through with the divorce despite his family urging him to reconsider.
Tej Pratap and Tejashwi have not been on the best of terms in the past year. Tej Pratap’s resentment has grown in proportion to his younger brother’s rise in politics since their father was sentenced to a jail term for corruption. Tejashwi, the leader of opposition in Bihar, is seen by many as Lalu Yadav’s political heir. In contrast, Tej Pratap has acquired the reputation of being impulsive, short-tempered and attention-seeking.
Whenever he has gone public with his grievances, the family has tried to project unity with a photo-op soon after.
