PATNA: In April 1988, Tej Pratap Yadav was born in Bihar’s Gopalganj district as the eldest son of Lalu Prasad Yadav and Rabri Devi, a politically influential couple. With the hope that their son would one day embody brilliance and bring prestige to the family, they aptly named him “Tej Pratap”—“Tej” denoting intelligence, and “Pratap” symbolising glory and renown.
Over the years, Tej Pratap has indeed made headlines—but more often than not, for the wrong reasons.
On May 25 (yesterday), Lalu Prasad took the extraordinary step of expelling his own son from both the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the family, citing “irresponsible behaviour.” While the RJD chief did not specify the exact cause, the immediate trigger was a Facebook post in which Tej Pratap claimed to have been in a romantic relationship for the past 12 years with a little-known woman named Anushka Yadav.
Although Tej Pratap later deleted the post, claiming his account had been hacked and his photos misused, the damage had already been done. The incident sent shockwaves through 10, Circular Road—the official residence of former Chief Minister Rabri Devi—prompting swift action from Lalu.
A Damage-Control Exercise?
This is not the first time Tej Pratap has drawn controversy. In 2018, he married Aishwarya Rai, granddaughter of former Chief Minister Daroga Rai and daughter of former minister Chandrika Rai, in a high-profile ceremony. However, the marriage soon soured, and the couple separated within months. With their divorce case still pending in court, Tej Pratap’s public declaration of another relationship only compounded the scandal.
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“Ignoring moral values in personal life weakens our collective struggle for social justice,” Lalu Prasad wrote in Hindi on X (formerly Twitter). “The activities and public conduct, particularly the irresponsible behaviour of the eldest son, are not in accordance with our family values and traditions. Therefore, under such circumstances, I am removing him from the party and family. From now on, he shall have no role in either,” he declared, adding that Tej Pratap has been expelled from the RJD for six years.
Lalu also issued a stern warning: anyone choosing to associate with Tej Pratap going forward would do so at their own risk, as all familial and political ties have been severed.
A Troubled Legacy
In taking such a drastic step, Lalu may well have been reminded of his past experiences with his brothers-in-law—Sadhu Yadav and Subhash Yadav—who, despite their initial political proximity, ultimately brought considerable disrepute to the RJD. Eventually, Lalu distanced himself from both men, cutting all family and political connections.
However, Tej Pratap is not a relative by marriage, but the couple’s eldest son and once-presumed political heir. Since Lalu publicly named his younger son, Tejashwi Yadav, as his successor, Tej Pratap has often appeared to chafe under the shadow of that decision.
Educationally, both brothers share similar academic qualifications—neither having completed formal higher education beyond the Intermediate level. Nevertheless, at the age of 27, Tej Pratap was sworn in as Bihar’s Health Minister in 2015 when the Mahagathbandhan government was formed under Nitish Kumar. He also served as the state’s Environment Minister from 2022 to January 2024, following the RJD’s renewed alliance with Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) and the Congress.
Political Experiments and Public Outbursts
Throughout his decade-long legislative career, Tej Pratap floated several political outfits—Yaduvanshi Sena, Tej Sena, Lalu-Rabri Morcha, Chhatra RJD Bharat, and Dharam-nirpeksha Seva Sangh—none of which gained traction. These ventures were widely perceived as leverage tactics in his internal power struggle with his father and younger brother. Ultimately, all of them faded into irrelevance.
More recently, during Holi celebrations this March, Tej Pratap stirred fresh controversy by allegedly using offensive language near the Chief Minister’s residence and reportedly coercing his security personnel to dance to raunchy songs. “You’ll be suspended if you don’t dance,” he warned the police personnel. The latter complied—only to face suspension from his superiors. Tej Pratap, however, escaped official reprimand for his behaviour.
A Fall from Grace
While Tej Pratap may have avoided legal repercussions thus far, the fallout of his personal and political actions appears to have reached a tipping point. The recent developments suggest that he has finally exhausted the patience of even his most powerful ally—his father.
In the end, his expulsion seems less a political decision than a personal reckoning. And this time, it appears few are willing to offer sympathy.
