Former Bihar minister Tej Pratap Yadav has publicly claimed that his younger brother Tejashwi Yadav, the Rashtriya Janata Dal’s chief ministerial candidate, is still operating within the orbit of their father, Lalu Prasad Yadav. He stated that only when his brother makes a stand on his own will he recognise him as a leader in his own right.
At a public event in Patna on Saturday, Tej Pratap did not hold back while critiquing Tejashwi’s political status. He said, "Jan Nayak is a term associated with giants like Ram Manohar Lohia and Karpoori Thakur. Even Lalu Prasad fits the bill. But Tejashwi owes his standing to Lalu Prasad. The day he makes a mark for himself, I will be the first to call him a Jan Nayak," he was quoted as saying.
“The day he makes a mark for himself, I will be the first to call him a Jan Nayak.” By using the word "shadow", Tej Pratap suggested that Tejashwi has yet to carve out an identity independent of their father’s legacy.
The former Bihar minister went further, announcing that after the elections he will neither return to the RJD nor join any other political formation. He claimed confidence in his own chances, stating that in his old constituency of Mahua he faces “no contest”. Meanwhile, RJD has offered the Mahua ticket to Mukesh Raushan, a close aide of Tejashwi, making the contest even more direct. The remarks deepen what analysts say is a widening gulf within the Yadav family just as the state gears up for a high-stakes assembly election.
