Lalu's sidelined son Tej Pratap Yadav floats parallel organization
Sidelined in the Rashtriya Janata Dal, founded by his father Lalu Prasad Yadav, elder son Tej Pratap Yadav has floated a new students body with the ostensible aim of strengthening the parent organization. Tej Pratap launched the Chhatra Janshakti Parishad two days ago and claimed that it was not meant to pose any challenge to the Chhatra RJD, the party's official student wing.
I have blessings of Lalu Prasad: Tej Pratap
He said the student wing will work toward "mobilizing youth at the village level." The maverick MLA came out with the announcement, claiming, as always, that he had "the blessings of Lalu Prasad," at a time when he was left licking his wounds after losing the battle in a tug of war with state RJD Chief Jagadanand Singh.
Jagadanand, close aide of Tejashwi, at loggerheads with Tej
Jagadanand, known to be close to Tej Pratap's younger and more powerful sibling Tejashwi Yadav, had earned the wrath of the mercurial elder brother recently when he sacked Akash Yadav as the state president of Chhatra RJD.
Akash was reportedly blamed for Tejashwi's missing images in posters
Notably, Akash is amongst the few close friends of Tej Pratap. Though there was no official word on the reasons behind the removal of Akash it was widely believed that the blame fell on him when posters came up in Patna recently in which images of Tejashwi who is now the party's de-facto leader were conspicuous by absence.
Akash has joined Lok Janshakti Party
Sensing that it could further diminish his clout, Tej Pratap had reacted furiously, likening Jagadanand to "Hitler," who refused to visit the party office for days in protest, until he was, understandably, mollified by Tejashwi. Meanwhile, Akash realized that time was up for him in the RJD and has joined Lok Janshakti Party.
He reacted similarly during 2019 Lok Sabha polls: RJD officials
RJD rank and file, which has been witness to Tej Pratap's tantrums for a while, viewed the development with bemusement. Speaking on condition of anonymity, some of them pointed out that the volatile leader had reacted similarly during the Lok Sabha polls of 2019 when he floated a Lalu Rabri Morcha when his cronies were denied tickets.
We sympathize with Tej Pratap: BJP
Meanwhile, Bihar BJP spokesman Nikhil Anand said, "Tej Pratap is fighting for his survival and we sympathize with him. His father has treated RJD as a personal fiefdom and failed to do justice to his own son." "It is ironic, and a poor reflection on the RJD that Tej Pratap, who never cared to educate himself, shall be floating a students' body," he added.
