Tej Pratap Yadav missing from RJD invite, wife finds place on posters

PATNA: The rumour mill about rift in RJD chief Lalu Prasad’s family went into overdrive on Wednesday as the name of his elder son Tej Pratap Yadav was missing from the invitation letter for the party’s foundation day celebrations on Thursday.

Speculations were also rife regarding the entry of Tej’s wife Aishwarya Rai into politics as her photograph is prominently displayed, along with Lalu-Rabri, their eldest daughter Misa Bharti, Tej and Tejashwi Prasad Yadav on the posters for the party’s foundation day.

“Leader of opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav will inaugurate the celebrations,” said a press statement released by RJD spokesperson Chitranjan Gagan on Tuesday. The invite mentions the names of senior RJD functionaries, including Lalu’s wife and former Bihar CM Rabri Devi, national vice-presidents Raghuvansh Prasad Singh and Shivanand Tiwari and MP Jaiprakash Narayan Yadav, among others.

Tej, however, denied any rift in the family and blamed BJP and RSS for spreading rumours. “How does it matter; the party and people in it are ours. There is no question of sidelining me,” Tej told reporters on Wednesday.

“BJP and RSS are trying to spread false information. Every poster and banner has my photograph. I will participate in the party’s foundation day programme on Thursday. There is no conflict between we the two brothers,” Tej said.

This is the second time this week that Tej has blamed BJP and RSS for spreading misinformation about his family and party. Tej on Monday claimed his official Facebook account was hacked following a controversial post, which stated that he was compelled to consider quitting politics as even his mother Rabri did not listen to the issues faced by him within the party.

Interestingly, after his marriage with Aishwarya on May 12 this year, Tej had told reporters that there was no chance of his wife joining politics. Aishwarya is the daughter of senior RJD leader and former transport minister Chandrika Rai and granddaughter of former Bihar chief minister Daroga Prasad Rai.