Tej Pratap Yadav slams Rajballabh Yadav over 'jersey cow' remark on Tejashwi’s wife

Expelled RJD leader Tej Pratap Yadav

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tej Pratap Yadav on Tuesday strongly criticised expelled party member Rajballabh Yadav for his derogatory “jersey cow” comment, which appeared to target the wife of his brother, Tejashwi Yadav.

Speaking ahead of an event in Muzaffarpur, Tej Pratap said Rajballabh Yadav is “a person of criminal nature” and predicted his moral and political downfall. “He is a criminal, and nothing else should be expected from him,” he added.

The remark by Rajballabh Yadav came during a public meeting in Nardiganj, where he questioned why Tejashwi Yadav had married outside the state and community. “When it came to marriage, why Haryana and Punjab? Was he getting a woman or a Jersey cow? Was there no girl in the Yadav community?” he asked, without directly naming Tejashwi’s wife.

Tejashwi Yadav had tied the knot in 2021 with Rachel Codinho, a former schoolmate from Rewari, Haryana, who later adopted the name Rajshri Yadav.

RJD leaders condemned the statement, with former Nawada MLA Kaushal Yadav calling it an insult not just to Rajshri but to the entire backwards and Dalit community. The party’s women’s wing also burned an effigy of Rajballabh Yadav in protest.

Since his release from jail after nine and a half years in a Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act case, Rajballabh Yadav has repeatedly targeted Lalu Prasad Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav in public statements.