Lalu’s elder son Tej Pratap back home, but may not ‘party’ with brother Tejashwi

Tej Pratap Yadav moved to Rabri Devi's residence in a frantic bid to bargain with family.

File photo of Tej Pratap Yadav. (Express photo by Nagendra Kumar Singh)

Former Bihar health minister and RJD chief Lalu Prasad’s elder son Tej Pratap Yadav is likely to float his own party soon. Busy with plans to organise a big function under his political forum, Janshakti Parishad, in the first week of May, Tej Pratap has been making last-ditch efforts to bargain with his family.

Hinting at his next political move, Tej Pratap had on April 22 tweeted that he has followed in his father’s footsteps and given respect to all party workers. “I will now resign after meeting my father,” Tej Pratap, who has been upset with younger brother and opposition leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav for a while now, tweeted in Hindi.

मैं अपने पिता के नक्शे कदम पर चलने का काम किया । सभी कार्यकर्ताओं को सम्मान दिया जल्द अपने पिता से मिलकर अपना इस्तीफा दूंगा ।@laluprasadrjd @RJDforIndia @yadavtejashwi @RabriDeviRJD @MisaBharti @Chiranjeev_INC

— Tej Pratap Yadav (@TejYadav14) April 25, 2022

Sources close to Tej Pratap said he would embark on a Bihar trip soon. “Janshakti Parishad is already a political identity and can be turned into a full-fledged political party soon. Though there is no official word yet, the announcement can come any time,” a source said.

Tej Pratap has defied the family in the past by floating Lalu-Rabri Morcha before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and has never gotten along with RJD state president Jagdanand Singh, who is known as Lalu Prasad’s appointee. “As Tej Pratap has hardly any political stake in the party organisation, he feels suffocated and wants to chart his own course,” said an RJD leader.

Tej Pratap, who has been living in a separate government bungalow, has decided to return to his parents’ residence, also shared by Tejashwi. On Tuesday evening, he visited Rabri Devi’s residence, spent the night at her place and, according to party sources, announced that he will henceforth not be living at the bungalow allotted to him by the state government.

Santosh Singh

Santosh Singh is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express since June 2008. He covers Bihar with main focus on politics, society and governance. Investigative and explanatory stories are also his forte. Singh has 25 years of experience in print journalism covering Bihar, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. ... Read More

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram