Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, May 25: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief and former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad on Sunday expelled his eldest son and Hasanpur MLA Tej Pratap Yadav from the party and from the family for “ignoring moral values in personal life” following his video with a girl going viral on the social media.
The decision came a day after the former Bihar minister shared a post on social media, where he had declared that he was in a relationship with a young woman named Anushka Yadav for 12 years. Later he claimed that his Facebook page was “hacked”.
Announcing the decision to expel his elder son from the party for six years, the RJD founder and patriarch said “ignoring moral values” in personal life weaken the community’s struggle for social justice. “The elder son’s activities, public behaviour and irresponsible conduct are not in line with our family’s values. In the current circumstances, I remove him from the party and the family. From now on, he will have no role in the party and the family. He has been expelled from the party for six years,” Mr Yadav said.
The veteran leader said his son can make decisions regarding his personal life. “Whoever wants to keep in touch with him can decide independently. I have always advocated decorum in public life. The obedient members of the family have followed this,” he said.
At the centre of the row that led to Tej Pratap’s ouster is a now-deleted social media post. From Tej Pratap Yadav’s Facebook profile, a photograph of him with a woman was shared on Saturday. The post identified the woman as Anushka Yadav and said she and the RJD leader had been in a relationship for 12 years. “I am Tej Pratap Yadav and the girl who is seen with me in this picture is Anushka Yadav. We both have known each other for the last 12 years and love each other deeply. We have been in a relationship throughout these years. I wanted to share this with all of you for a long time, but couldn’t find the right words. Today, through this post, I am opening my heart to you. I hope you all will understand.”
The post drew critical remarks as many asked why the RJD leader married former Bihar Minister Chandrika Rai’s daughter Aishwarya in 2018 if he was already in a relationship. Tej Pratap and Aishwarya had separated months after the wedding.
Shortly after the Facebook post started a chatter, it was deleted as Tej Pratap claimed his profile had been hacked. “My social media platform was hacked and my photographs were edited wrongfully,” Mr Yadav wrote on X, referring to the viral post.
Tej Pratap’s younger brother and RJD’s face Tejashwi said as far as he was concerned, such things “cannot be tolerated.” “We are doing our work, we are dedicated to Bihar and we are raising people’s issues. As far as my elder brother is concerned, political life and personal life are different. He has the right to make his personal decisions. He is an adult and free to make decisions. Our party’s chief has made it clear.”
“We cannot tolerate such things, we are working and are dedicated to the people of Bihar. If it’s about my big brother, political life and personal life are different. He has the right to make his personal decisions. He is an adult and free to make decisions. Our party’s chief has made it clear, and ever since he has said so, it is his feelings. We didn’t question such things… What he is doing in his personal life, nobody asks before doing anything. I have come to know about it via the media only,” Tejashwi Yadav said.
Lalu Yadav’s daughter and Tej Pratap’s sister Rohini Acharya also supported her father’s decision of expelling her brother saying that those who abandon their wisdom, they make themselves the subject of criticism. She said those who keep “family.” “upbringing” and “decorum” in mind never face questions. “Those who renounce decency and cross the limits make themselves a subject of criticism,” she said.
“Those who take care of the dignity of the environment, tradition, family and upbringing are never questioned. Those who abandon their wisdom and repeatedly commit the mistake of crossing the limits of decent conduct and family prestige, they make themselves the subject of criticism. For us, Papa is like God, family is our temple and pride and the party built by Papa’s tireless efforts and struggles and the concept of social justice are our worship. We will never accept that the reputation of these three is tarnished due to anyone,” she said in a post on X.
Tej Pratap’s Facebook post and the chatter about his personal life left the RJD embarrassed amid its preparations for the Bihar Assembly election later this year. Party sources said Mr Lalu Prasad had earlier ignored his many mistakes and blunder in past but his act ahead of the Assembly elections may cost the political future and public image of his younger son Tejashwi Yadav who is being projected as next Chief Minister of Bihar.
In a Hindi clarification shared shortly after the viral post, Tej Pratap wrote: “My social media platforms have been hacked and my photos are being edited inappropriately to harass and defame me and my family. I appeal to my well-wishers and followers to stay alert and not pay attention to any rumours.”
Yadav had tied the knot with Aishwarya, the grand-daughter of former Bihar chief minister Daroga Rai in 2018. However, within a few months, Aishwarya left his house, alleging that she was driven out by her husband and in-laws. Her father, Chandrika Roy, a former minister himself, quit the RJD, vowing to fight his daughter’s battle “politically and legally.”
The couple’s divorce petition is pending before the family court in Patna. Both sides have since been trading charges. While Yadav has accused his wife of demanding a princely sum by way of alimony, Aishwarya has alleged that her estranged husband was a deviant who took drugs and, in private, dressed like a woman.
Amid simmering tensions between India and Pakistan after the Indian armed forces launched ‘Operation Sindoor’ earlier this month in response to the Pahalgam terror attack, Tej Pratap Yadav had offered himself for the service of the country. In a post on X on May 8, Tej Pratap had said he was a trained pilot and was “ready to serve the country.”
He had shared a picture of himself in uniform, along with four colleagues, and copies of his licence. “If pilot training can be useful for the country, then, I, Tej Pratap Yadav, am always ready to serve the country. For your information, I have also taken pilot training, and even if I lose my life for the country, I would consider myself fortunate. Jai Hind,” he had written.
