Perform ‘thumka’ or face suspension, Tej Pratap tells policeman during Holi celebration

He is heard telling one of his bodyguards constable Deepak Kumar: “Ae sipahi, ae Deepak, abhi ek gana bajaenge jis par tumko thumka lagana padega. Nahin lagaoge toh tumko suspend kar denge. Bura na mano Holi hai (Hello policeman Deepak… we are going to play a song on which you have to do a pelvic thrust. If you do not oblige, you will be suspended. Don’t mind it’s Holi”). 

The constable did not do the pelvic thrust but could be seen shaking his legs. (Screenshot: X/PTI_News)

Tej Pratap is heard singing a devotional Holi song accompanied by a musical band. The constable did not do the pelvic thrust but could be seen shaking his legs. 

In another purported video, Tej Pratap is seen riding a motorcycle past the official residence of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and shouting “Paltu chacha”, a taunt directed at Nitish’s frequent switchover of alliances. 

Soon after these videos went viral, BJP described it as “typical of RJD culture”. Defending their leader, the RJD, however, said that the political rivals were “reading too much” into “the innocuous request to the cop”. 

Bihar BJP’s vice president Santosh Pathak called Tej Pratap’s action as “something reminiscent of Lalu Prasad’s days”. “We are not at all surprised at Tej Pratap Yadav’s action. Such things would happen frequently during Lalu Prasad-Rabri Devi days. When CM Nitish Kumar would refer to Bihar before 2005, he means such RJD culture, still symbolised by the likes of Tej Pratap. How can one ask a man in uniform to dance?” he said.

An RJD leader said, “One is reading too much into Tej Pratap’s innocuous request to cop. He could have avoided doing so but it should be taken in the spirit of Holi.”