RJD faces surprise challenge from Tej Pratap

Even as RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav is campaigning in Bihar seeking votes for the INDIA bloc’s Mahagathbandhan, he faces a challenge from the most unexpected quarters — his elder brother Tej Pratap.

Not only has Tej Pratap launched his Janshakti Janata Dal but he is also contesting from the Mahua Assembly constituency in Vaishali district, where he is pitted against sitting RJD MLA Mukesh Roshan.

Giving a warning, Tej Pratap said, “If Tejashwi comes to Mahua to campaign against me, I will go to Raghopur (Tejashwi’s seat) to canvass against him.”

Tej Pratap had represented the Mahua Assembly seat from 2015 to 2020. He was also the Health Minister in the government until Nitish Kumar parted ways with the RJD and joined hands with the BJP in 2017. In 2020, Tej Pratap chose the Hasanpur seat.

“The last time I represented Mahua, I opened a medical college here. This time, I will open an engineering college and a sports complex here. I will ensure that a one-day international match is held here,” he declared.

With a large number of youngsters seen with Tej Pratap, the RJD camp is on tenterhooks. “He is, after all, Lalu Prasad Yadav’s son. Perhaps Tej Pratap will join hands with Tejashwi and help him become the CM. It is true that Tej Pratap helped set up a medical college in Mahua. The sitting RJD MLA did nothing,” said Satyedra Rai, a businessman from Mahua.

Many party supporters feel a split in the RJD vote may work to the advantage of NDA candidate Sanjay Kumar Singh in the constituency.

Lalu’s legacy

The question of who will inherit Lalu Prasad Yadav’s legacy has haunted the RJD since 2014, when he underwent a heart operation in Mumbai. Lalu himself remained silent on the issue for a long time but gave enough hints that his preference was for his younger son — Tejashwi. Tej Pratap was reportedly considered erratic, short-tempered and maverick. His marriage with Aishwara, the granddaughter of former Bihar CM Daroga Rai, lasted hardly six months.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Tej Pratap rebelled and fielded his own candidate from the Jehanabad Lok Sabha seat, leading to the defeat of the RJD candidate. While slowly he was being sidelined, Lalu made it clear that Tejashwi was his successor. Ever since, the relationship between the two has been strained. Tejashwi has complained that Tej Pratap always sabotaged his programmes. But the flashpoint came when Lalu expelled his elder son from the party and family on May 25 for “irresponsible behaviour” after a video of Tej Pratap and a woman went viral.

‘Won’t return to RJD’

Tej Pratap has never blamed his father or mother for his ouster. “The RJD is not the same party which was once made by my father; it has been taken over by a Jaichand,” he remarked, alluding to a close associate of Tejashwi. “I do not name poisonous snakes, they come alive,” he remarked. Ever since Tej Pratap was expelled from the party, he has not either met or talked with his father or mother. “My elder sister Ragini did call me to congratulate me when I filed my nomination papers,” he said. He swears that he would never return to the RJD. “Our paths are moving in different directions,” he said.

Similarities with Lalu

Many Lalu supporters see more similarities between Lalu and Tej Pratap than Tejashwi. “If anyone hears Tej Pratap’s speech, he will be reminded of Lalu in his early days. He has the same rustic language, one-liners and the ability to make instant connection with the crowd,” remarked an RJD leader worried that the tussle between the two brothers was going to be a long one.