PATNA: A month and a half after staying away from home and shunning all political meetings of RJD, jailed party chief Lalu Prasad Yadav’s maverick elder son Tej Pratap Yadav has now suddenly become active in politics and plans to organise a youth rally in February.
The 30-year-old first-time MLA and former minister, who filed for divorce from his wife of six months last month against the wishes of his parents, has not visited the 10, Circular Road residence of his mother and former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi despite being in Patna for a week. He has been holding parleys with RJD’s second-rung leaders and many from the youth wing at their houses and hotels, said sources.
Many in RJD were surprised when Tej Pratap appeared at the party’s state headquarters on Beer Chand Patel Marg and asked for the locked chamber of his father opened on Sunday. Accompanied by nearly 20 of his supporters, he occupied the party chief’s chair and held a meeting that lasted for nearly two hours.
“He (Tej Pratap) discussed BJP’s rout in three states in recent Assembly polls and wanted RJD’s youth wing to guard up its loins to defeat the saffron forces in Bihar in next year’s Lok Sabha polls,” said a leader close to him.
Tej Pratap had run into his younger brother and de-facto RJD chief Tejashwi Yadav and their mother Rabri Devi at the wedding of a relative on Saturday, but he hardly exchanged a word with them. With the RJD-led Grand Alliance slated to begin seat-sharing talks for its constituents in the next few days, Tej Pratap is reportedly keen to ensure that leaders close to him get party tickets.
“I was never away from the party. There are enemies both within and outside the party, and I will finish them off. I am going to work on a mission mode to ensure RJD emerges a big winner in the Lok Sabha polls,” said Tej Pratap.
He praised Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and said he would organise a grand rally of RJD’s youth wing in Patna’s Gandhi Maidan in February, for which several leaders from other parties such as Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav would be invited.
Tej Pratap said he would not return to his parents’ house. “I have already requested the state government for a bungalow for myself as a former minister, and I am waiting for its allotment,” he added. The next hearing of his divorce petition is slated for January 8.