Hajipur: In a dramatic rebuff to family and political reconciliation, Tej Pratap Yadav, the estranged elder son of RJD patriarch Lalu Prasad Yadav, declared on Friday that he would prefer death over a return to the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).
Expelled from the party amid familial rifts, Tej Pratap has charted his own path with the newly formed Jan Shakti Janata Dal (JJD), contesting the Bihar Assembly elections from the Mahua constituency — his victorious turf in 2015.
In an exclusive interview with PTI, the former minister emphasised his unwavering commitment to principles over power. “I am not power-hungry. For me, self-respect and ideology come first, followed by selfless service to the people,” he asserted. Indirectly targeting his younger brother and Mahagathbandhan’s chief ministerial face, Tejashwi Yadav, Tej Pratap quipped, “Power goes to those blessed by the masses, not announcements.” He dismissed current Mahua MLA Mukesh Raushan as no real challenge, crediting his re-contest to the affection of locals who recall his responsive tenure.
During personal estrangement, Tej Pratap revealed a prolonged silence with his parents but affirmed their unspoken blessings. He fondly attached a photo of his late grandmother Marichiya Devi to his nomination papers, invoking her pivotal role in Lalu’s rise. Regarding Tejashwi, he affectionately noted, “He is my little brother; my blessings are always with him—I cannot unleash a Sudarshan Chakra on him.”
Lashing out at the NDA, Tej Pratap warned that voters would no longer fall for the BJP and RSS’s “nefarious conspiracies.” His bold stance injects fresh intrigue into Bihar’s high-stakes electoral battle, underscoring the Yadav family’s deepening divide.