Expulsion of Tej Pratap Yadav driven by political mileage, not ethics: Jitan Ram Manjhi

Patna, May 25 (IANS) The political fallout continues over the expulsion of Tej Pratap Yadav, the elder son of RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, as former Bihar chief minister and Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi launched a fierce attack on the RJD patriarch, questioning the selective morality and timing of the disciplinary action.

Manjhi, who is also the patron of the Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM), criticised Lalu Prasad’s decision to expel Tej Pratap for six years from the RJD and the family, in the wake of a viral video and photos showing Tej Pratap with Anushka Yadav, a woman he claims to have been in a long-term relationship with.

“When Daroga Prasad Rai's granddaughter and Chandrika Rai's daughter, Aishwarya Rai, was brutally thrown out of the house, why did your values and ethics not wake up then, Lalu Yadav?” asked Manjhi.

“If you truly cared about dignity and culture, then you should have expelled those responsible for Aishwarya’s mistreatment back then,” he said.

The controversy reignited after photos and a video of Tej Pratap Yadav with Anushka Yadav went viral on social media.

Tej Pratap initially claimed that his Facebook account was hacked, but the content continued to spread, prompting Lalu Prasad to take the drastic step of disowning and suspending Tej Pratap from the party and family.

However, Manjhi was not convinced by the moral positioning of this decision, calling it too little, too late.

Recalling earlier incidents, Manjhi alleged that Rabri Devi, Lalu Prasad’s wife and former Bihar CM, physically assaulted Aishwarya Rai before she was evicted from the family home.

“Lalu Yadav, you talk of sanskar (values) and maryada (dignity). But when Aishwarya was beaten and insulted, you didn't expel anyone. Where was your commitment to culture then?” Manjhi said in a sharp statement.

He further demanded to know why no action was taken against family members who allegedly mistreated Aishwarya, and why she was abandoned after the marriage turned sour almost immediately.

Earlier, Manjhi posted a strong statement on X, vowing political consequences: “Every woman in Bihar will take revenge for the injustice done to Daroga Babu’s granddaughter Aishwarya Rai in the coming elections,” Manjhi wrote.

He also warned the Lalu family against repeating the same mistake with Anushka Yadav, implying that the family’s decisions are driven by political mileage, not ethics.

“If Tej Pratap was in a relationship before marriage, why did you ruin another girl's life? Will the Lalu family now ruin Anushka Yadav’s life too because of political convenience?” Manjhi questioned.

--IANS

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