For years, Tej Pratap – Bihar’s former chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav’s elder son – wandered through the state’s political landscape like a meme in motion — dressed as Lord Shiva one day, launching “green" revolutions from his bicycle the next. At times, offering his services to the Airforce as a ‘registered pilot’ post Operation Sindoor, and sometimes summoning police personnel to dance to his tune, while occasionally reminding everyone that he, too, was Lalu Prasad Yadav’s son.
But in the run up to the crucial elections, Tej Pratap has pulled off what no BJP strategist, rogue leader, or Bihar bureaucrat could — getting himself publicly disowned by his father Lalu Prasad Yadav. Not just from the Rastriya Janata Dal (RJD), but from the family itself.
The viral post that broke the dynasty
It all began, as all big things do, with a viral photo. Tej Pratap, never one to shy away from drama, or controversy, posted a picture with Anushka Yadav — a woman previously linked to him and identified as a ‘close friend’ in quiet family circles, but never confirmed publicly. The photo was accompanied by Tej Pratap’s dramatic claim that they had been in a “relationship for 12 years." These 12 years also include the period when Tej Pratap was married.
What followed was not just a social media storm but a full-blown ‘parivarik’ coup, complete with a Lalu-style press note on morality, values, shame, and a six-year political vanvaas. It’s not just the end of a Yadav family drama — it’s the political version of Bigg Boss. Lalu’s statement was followed by the flurry of comments from Tej’s siblings including his brother Tejasvi, Bihar’s former deputy chief minister and sister Rohini Acharya.
Sources in the RJD said that Lalu finally pulled the plug on Tej Pratap in a deliberate move to ensure his exit from the party’s power grid.
The reason? Sources said that even a dynasty needs to detox sometimes. An RJD leader said, “This family and the party – both run on Marx, Mandal, and moral values — not midnight Instagram confessions." And just like that, Tej Pratap was ghosted by his father — officially and politically.
Always the son, never the leader
Tej Pratap’s latest antic is not just one big mistake. It was a culmination of a thousand cringe moments. His political journey has been part mythology, part misadventure, part comedy — from warning party spokespersons of divine retribution to threatening independent candidacies that no one asked for.
He was inducted in the state cabinet in 2015, and in three years his marital discord became public. In 2019, he floated his own political outfit named the Lalu-Rabri Morcha expressing ‘concern and dissatisfaction’ over the functioning of the RJD.
Even though he claimed that it was not an offshoot of the RJD, his move was viewed as a sign of internal rift. The platform had fewer followers than his Instagram live videos, where he routinely accused his younger brother Tejaswi of ignoring “spiritual truths" .
Meanwhile, the RJD was trying to rebrand and promote the young Tejasvi as the face. With Lalu’s health being fragile and Tejaswi working overtime as the responsible, economy-talking, spreadsheet-reading modern neta, Tej Pratap’s “cow-politics-meets-Kurukshetra" routine was becoming less amusing, and more alarming.
Why Now? Election Year, Political Housekeeping
Election year is no time for just cringe and drama in Bihar, specially when Lalu’s party is up for its survival. This isn’t just a case of a son embarrassing his father.
A senior RJD leader said, “With the 2025 Bihar elections on the horizon, the party is facing a greater challenge in the form of BJP-JDU alliance, Lalu ji needed to present a clean, consolidated front. Tejaswi ji is a stable inheritor and growing as a prudent politician. He is trying to make the RJD a disciplined force, where the party cannot afford a loose cannon or permanent embarrassment."
Sources in the party also added that it was Tejasvi who pushed his father to ‘end this drama’ or face public embarrassment on a regular basis before elections. “We also had information that Tej Pratap ji was planning to field some independent candidates to sabotage his brother’s position in some areas. He was indulging into anti-party activities as well," added the leader.
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