As deputy chief minister, Tejaswi Yadav may officially be the second most powerful man in the newly formed Bihar government, but he will still be living at home with his parents.
Both Tejaswi and Tej Pratap (the latter is health minister in the new government) will continue to live at 10 Circular Road, Lalu’s residence in Patna according to an article in The Telegraph.
Clearly, the RJD supremo is keen to keep his sons, both first time MLAs, close to him. There’s also a clear and strong message in the fact that two of the most senior ministers (by protocol, if not experience) in the new government will be reporting home every day.
Tejaswi Not a Unanimous Choice
Tejaswi’s selection as deputy CM, while not totally unexpected, has not gone down well with certain sections in his own party. There are those in the Rasthriya Janta Dal who thought that their senior and most popular and prominent Muslim leader, Abdul Bari Siddiqui, would have made a better choice.
According to a source in the RJD in Patna, by keeping things ‘in-house’ as it were, Lalu may well be trying to establish where the power, both in his party and in the government, lies.
Yes, Laluji is keen that his sons take over after him... but it is not just that. They will be his voice in the government, as well as assure the party that he is the one who is still guiding them.Source within the RJD
There is also another motive, perhaps more flattering, that some in his party are assigning to Lalu and his decision to keep his sons both in government, as well as hold them close.
He [Lalu Prasad] is keen that Tejaswi learn administration and governance under Nitish. He has been given charge of Public Works. If he can do a good job there and in other aspects of development, he can become a great leader. With Nitish’s governance skills and Lalu Prasad’s political lineage, he will be unbeatable. But if he doesn’t do a good job, the goodwill from this election will be squandered.Source within the RJD
In Nitish’s Camp, a Mild Wariness
“The fact of the matter remains that the RJD has more seats than us,” said one senior office bearer of the party to The Quint.
In the JD(U), there is still a wait-and-watch approach towards Lalu Yadav and his sons. The coordination with their old rivals was almost seamless during the campaign, but things have changed.
“The fact of the matter remains that the RJD has more seats than us,” said one senior office bearer of the party to The Quint. If the new-found bonhomie between Lalu and Nitish can survive the challenges of running a coalition government, then Nitish has nothing to worry about.
For now, Nitish Kumar needs the Mahagathbandhan. Rahul Gandhi has made his admiration for Nitish more than apparent, but even with the Congress the JD(U) does not have the numbers to let go of the RJD.
Politically too, it would be a mistake. The mandate from the people was for the alliance. It is only if the situation becomes untenable, that the alliance can be broken for the people of Bihar.Senior JD(U) member
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