Tej Pratap Yadav’s ‘janata darbar’ from tomorrow

PATNA: Amid murmurs of leadership vacuum in RJD, party chief Lalu Prasad’s elder son Tej Pratap Yadav on Saturday announced that he will resume his janata darbar from Monday. The RJD, led by Tej’s younger brother Tejashwi Prasad Yadav in Lalu’s absence, drew a blank in the state in the just concluded Lok Sabha election.
“I will be present among you for resolving the problems of common people and party workers. #TejJantaDarbar (sic),” Tej tweeted on Saturday. Incidentally, Tejashwi will hold a meeting with RJD functionaries on Tuesday to analyse the party’s dismal performance in the election.
Tej started holding his janata darbars at RJD office here on December 24 last year, weeks after he filed a divorce petition against his wife and former minister Chandrika Rai’s daughter Aishwarya Rai in a local court here against the wish of his family members.
The Mahagathbandhan, of which RJD was a key ally, had fought the Lok Sabha election under the leadership of Tejashwi. While the RJD lost all 19 seats it contested in the state, Congress, another Mahagathbandhan ally, managed to win only the Muslim dominated Kishanganj seat. The other two allies of the alliance – Jitan Ram Manjhi-led Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) and Mukesh Sahni-led Vikassheel Insaan Party – too failed to open their accounts.
According to political observers, Tej, who has left his party and family red-faced on many occasions in the past, may now try stake his claim for a leadership role in the party. “The RJD’s massive loss in the election may give an opportunity to Tej to rise again,” said D M Diwakar, economics department head at A N Sinha Institute of Social Sciences.