Tej Pratap on Rahul and Tejashwi’s Bihar yatra: ‘Can’t understand whether it will save or destroy democracy’

Tej Pratap was recently expelled from the RJD by his father and party chief Lalu Prasad

Former Bihar minister Tej Pratap Yadav advised his younger brother and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav to be cautious of “traitors” within the party ahead of the assembly polls in the state.

In a post on X, Tej Pratap, who was recently expelled from the RJD by his father and party chief Lalu Prasad, also claimed that “some traitors are hatching a conspiracy to finish my political career”.

“I want to tell Tejashwi that there is still time. Be cautious of ‘Jaichands’ (a metaphor for traitors) around you, otherwise, you will see very bad results in the elections. Now, how wise you are will be determined by the election results,” he said.

Tej Pratap also attached a video to his post, which purportedly shows the driver of RJD MLA from Nabinagar assembly seat, Vijay Kumar Singh alias Dabloo Singh, being manhandled during the ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ of the Congress in Aurangabad.

PTI could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.

Referring to the alleged incident, Tej Pratap said, “I can’t understand whether Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav have taken out the yatra to save democracy or to tear it apart. The way the MLA’s driver and a media person were beaten and abused by ‘Jaichands’ in the Nabinagar assembly constituency is highly condemnable and shameful.” In another post, he said, “Some traitors are hatching a conspiracy to finish my political career. But these traitors do not know that my name is Tej Pratap Yadav. I will continue to move forward with even greater strength. No matter how big a conspiracy is hatched, they will never be able to defeat me.” Tej Pratap had on Tuesday announced the formation of a coalition of five minor parties to contest the assembly elections in the eastern state due later in the year.

He made the announcement at a press conference in Patna, which was also attended by national presidents of the five parties – Vikas Vanchit Insaan Party (VVIP), Bhojpuriya Jan Morcha (BJM), Pragatisheel Janta Party (PJP), Wajib Adhikar Party (WAP) and Sanyukt Kisan Vikas Party (SKVP).

Tej Pratap said he will engage in public dialogue across the state through his organisation and on social media platforms. “Now, whoever wants to challenge us, come and face us in the electoral battle,” he said.

(With PTI inputs)