For the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) patriarch Lalu Prasad, who has been recuperating from several health issues at his older daughter’s residence in New Delhi, the tussle between his two MLA sons is posing new challenges to his health, family and the party. The siblings — older son Tej Pratap Yadav and younger Tejashwi Yadav, whom Mr. Prasad has already declared as his heir apparent — are currently locked in fierce tussle for control of the party and have thrown the ball in their father’s court to resolve the discontent between them.
Mr. Tej Pratap Yadav, RJD MLA from Hasanpur in Samastipur district, has religious leanings and is considered to have a colourful and happy-go-lucky personality. Sporting a chandan tikka (sandal dot on his forehead) and different coloured robes of monks, he is a frequent visitor to the holy city of Mathura in Uttar Pradesh. He calls himself a devotee of Krishna and Shiva, and is said to be close to his mother and former chief minister Rabri Devi. Mr Tejashwi Yadav, MLA from Raghopur, is seen as close to his father.
Unlike his younger brother who is also Leader of Opposition in State Assembly, Mr. Tej Pratap is often in the news for his caustic remarks and rustic mannerisms like his father, causing major embarrassment to the RJD and its leaders.
Confrontation
Matters seem to have come to a head after a face-to-face confrontation between the brothers earlier this week in Patna. On August 20, Mr.Tej Pratap visited 10, Circular Road, the official residence of his mother Rabri Devi, where Tejashwi Yadav also lives, to discuss the issue of differences between him and the State RJD chief Jagdanand Singh.
“While, we started talking with each other Sanjay Yadav (close aide of Mr. Tejashwi Yadav) intervened and took Tejashwi away. He did not allow me to talk to my younger brother,” Mr. Tej Pratap alleged while leaving the meeting.
Shorty thereafter Mr. Tejashwi Yadav left for Delhi to meet his father Lalu Prasad. However, he told reporters he was visiting the national capital for upcoming Raksha Bandhan as his six sisters live in the Delhi-NCR region. Besides he is also part of an all-party delegation led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on their demand for a caste census in the country.
Mythical comparisons
“Tejashwi is my Arjun and I’m his Krishna. I’ll make him chief minister of the State one day,” Mr. Tej Pratap has often said. However, on Saturday while speaking to media, he said, “Until he (Tejashwi Yadav) gets rid of people like Sisuspal and Duryodhan (characters in the epic Mahabharata seen as having a corrupting influence), I doubt that he will become the chief minister of the State.”
Drawing further comparisons, Mr. Tej Pratap went on to term called Mr. Sanjay Yadav as Duryodhana and Mr. Jagdanand Singh as Sisupal. “Just like Krishna was abused by Sisupal in Mahabharata, similarly I’m a victim of Jagdanand Singh. People also know how Duryodhana was killed. It was Krishna who gave tips to tear apart thighs of Duryodhana,” he said. “They both (Sanjay Yadav and Jagdanand Singh) want to create rift between us and want to weaken the party. But I can never tolerate any wrong thing and will continue to call a spade a spade,” he said.
The reference was to his running feud with Mr. Jagdanand Singh, who he recently accused of running the RJD in “Hitler style” — a barb which apparently upset Mr. Singh, who stopped coming to the party headquarters. Few days later, Mr. Singh removed the party’s student wing president Akash Yadav, a protégé of Mr Tej Pratap, escalating tensions.
While rebuking some members of party’s student’s wing who were said to be supporters of Mr. Tej Pratap Yadav, Mr. Singh said, “Those who wear jeans, can’t be leaders of our party.”
Seeking counsel
Party sources told The Hindu that Mr. Tejashwi Yadav was quite perturbed over developments in the party because of his elder brother and he needed to discuss the issue with his father “urgently”.
“He (Tej Pratap) may be my elder brother but our parents have taught us sacraments to respect our elders. Whoever he may be, indiscipline within party is not good and causes problem,” he is quoted as having said.
Mr. Tej Pratap Yadav also said, “In couple of days I will leave for Delhi and discuss the matter with my father Lalu Prasad”. He also took a swipe at his younger brother’s departure, saying, “Tejashwi left people of Bihar to fend for themselves in the floods and went to Delhi. He was being brainwashed by his advisor Sanjay Yadav on whose advice he is working.”
“The sooner the family resolves or reins-in Tej Pratap’s growing nuisance within the party, the better it will be for everyone in RJD,” said a senior party leader close to Mr. Lalu Prasad.
Meanwhile, the ruling NDA leaders too took a jibe at the ongoing power tussle between the two brothers.
“In this internal fight in RJD, who will become Dara Shikoh and who will rule like Aurangzeb, only time will tell,” tweeted senior State BJP leader and party’s Rajya Sabha member Sushil Kumar Modi.