Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad on Sunday (May 25, 2025) expelled his eldest son and Hasanpur MLA Tej Pratap Yadav from the party for six years following his video with a girl going viral on social media on Saturday (May 24, 2025).
Mr. Prasad posted a message on social media X saying, “Ignoring moral values in personal life weakens the collective struggle for social cause. The activities, public conduct and irresponsible behaviour of the eldest son are not in accordance with our family values and traditions. Therefore, due to the above circumstances, I remove him from the party and family. From now on, he will not have any role of any kind in the party and family. He is expelled from the party for 6 years.”
Mr. Prasad further said, “He is capable of seeing the good and bad and merits and demerits of his personal life. All those who have relations with him should take their own decisions. I have always been an advocate of public shame in public life. The obedient members of the family have adopted and followed this idea in public life.”
Sources in the party said that Mr. Prasad has taken the decision to disown his elder son after he posted pictures of his remarriage with a girl named Anushka Yadav. In that post he claimed that he had been in a relationship with the girl visible in the picture for the past 12 years.
Later, the post was not found and Mr. Tej Pratap Yadav claimed that his Facebook page had been “hacked”. However, Mr. Pratap did not file any police complaint with regard to hacking his social media account. His act seems to have infuriated Mr. Prasad, who was forced to take this bold decision.
Party sources said that Mr. Prasad had ignored his mistakes and blunders in the past, but his actions ahead of the Assembly elections may cost the political future and public image of his younger son Tejashwi Yadav, who is being projected as the next Chief Minister of Bihar.
In May 2018, the eldest son Tej Pratap got married with Aishwarya Rai, the grand-daughter of former Chief Minister of Bihar Daroga Prasad Rai but within five months, he filed for divorce.
On several occasions the former Minister and MLA from Hasanpur Assembly constituency Mr. Pratap has created an embarrassing situation for the party. Be it slapping or pushing a party worker on the stage or insulting senior leaders like former MP late Raghuvansh Prasad Singh and party State president Jagdanand Singh, the family members have always tolerated his behaviour.
Not only this, Mr. Pratap had dared to go against Sanjay Yadav (now Rajya Sabha member) the closest aide of Tejashwi Yadav.
When Tejashwi Yadav was made the Deputy Chief Minister for the first time in November 2015, Mr. Pratap developed a complex. To calm down that anger, on many occasions, Tejashwi used to touch his brother’s feet during the public rallies to seek his blessings.
Reacting to the decision taken by his father, Tejashwi Yadav who is also the Leader of Opposition in Bihar Legislative Assembly, said that he was more concerned about the people of Bihar and raising the issues pertaining to the people.
“As far as my elder brother is concerned, I must say that political life and personal life are separate. He is an adult and mature enough to make his own decisions whether it is fruitful or harmful. The RJD chief has given a clear message through the social media post. Lalu ji has expressed his concern. I do not like such acts and cannot even tolerate it,” Mr. Yadav said while talking to reporters in Patna.
Even elder sister Rohini Acharya slammed Tej Pratap saying that those who abandon their wisdom and repeatedly commit the mistake of crossing the limits of decent conduct and family prestige, they become the subject of criticism.
“For us, Papa is like God, family is our temple and pride and the party built by Papa’s tireless efforts and struggles and the concept of social justice are our worship. We will never accept that the reputation of these three is tarnished due to anyone,” Ms. Acharya posted the message on X. -(The Hindu)
