Amid the tittle-tattle that all is not well between the Yadav brothers – Tej Pratap and Tejashwi – the former on Thursday, 5 July, presented the latter with a 'mukut' (crown), to a rousing applause and cheers from the party supporters.
Tej Pratap, before crowning his brother, said that the younger of the two siblings has a long journey to embark on. "He has to continue his march forward. I will bless Tejashwi. Some people are trying to create differences between us," Tej Pratap announced from the podium at the 22nd foundation day of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).
Tejashwi, seen by many as the heir apparent to father Lalu Yadav, said that some people were trying to construct a false narrative that the BJP cannot be defeated till JD(U) joins ranks with the RJD again. “They (BJP-JDU) recently lost a number of by-polls in Bihar. What happened there?” he asked.
Tej Pratap’s Name Missing from List of Invitees
The rumour mill went into an overdrive recently after Tej Pratap Yadav's name was found missing on the list of dignitaries invited to attend the 22nd foundation day of the RJD.
However, a number of posters were put up at the party’s state headquarters and the venue of the function, featuring all members of the family currently active in politics.
The posters also included Tej Pratap’s newly wedded wife Aishwarya Rai, signalling her possible entry into public life.
Reacting to the omission of his name, the RJD chief's elder son rubbished speculation about a rift within the family.
“What is so big about my name not featuring in a list of RJD leaders on the invitation card? My name and my photographs can be found on all the posters and banners put up by the party. I will also be taking part in the celebrations tomorrow. All this talk of family feud is a rumour spread by BJP people,” he told reporters.
Trouble Within RJD’s First Family?
The BJP and the JD(U) dismissed Tej Pratap’s defence – and reiterated growing trouble within the RJD’s first family.
BJP state Vice President Devesh Kumar told PTI there was some trouble brewing within the Lalu family, which controls the party. While we abhor dynasty politics, going by the Hindu tradition, Tej Pratap, who is the elder son of the RJD supremo deserved to be the political heir. But that did not happen, he said.
He had to remain content with a cabinet berth when his younger brother Tejashwi Yadav became the deputy chief minister. At present, Tej Pratap is just a party MLA while Tejashwi is the leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly, the BJP leader said.
Lalu also played favourites by getting Tejashwi declared as the party's chief ministerial candidate, leaving Tej Pratap with no choice but to play second fiddle, he alleged.
So now, while the three children of Lalu, including eldest daughter Misa Bharti are active in politics, it is Tejashwi who is hogging the limelight. It is foolish to blame BJP for the rift in the family, which is all too obvious, the state BJP vice president added.
BJP Attacks ‘Dynastic’ Politics
About Lalu’s daughter-in-law Aishwarya’s photograph on the posters, the BJP leader said it only proves that in the RJD, you have to be related to the Lalu family, in whatever way, in order to take centrestage.
Tej Pratap had tied the knot with Aishwarya in May this year.
Echoing the BJP leader's views, JD(U) MLC and spokesman Neeraj Kumar said Lalu Prasad has emerged as a neo-feudal force in modern politics.
There is a rift within the family and that is inevitable when the entire family enters politics and starts yearning for clout, he said.
The JD(U) leader further said that Lalu may have worked hard to earn his own political stature, but he has degenerated into a patriarch who cannot look beyond his family.
It was for the first time that Lalu Prasad, who had floated the RJD after breaking away from the Janata Dal in 1997, couldn’t attend the function, inaugurated by Tejashwi Yadav.
Convicted in a multi-crore fodder scam, Lalu Prasad Yadav is presently on provisional bail on medical grounds. He is admitted at a Mumbai hospital.
(With PTI and ANI inputs)
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