Two days after expulsion from RJD, Tej Pratap congratulates Tejashwi on birth of son

Patna: Former Bihar minister Tej Pratap Yadav, who was recently expelled from the RJD by his father and founding president Lalu Prasad, on Tuesday congratulated younger brother Tejashwi Yadav on the birth of the latter's second child, a boy.

Tej Pratap, who had been keeping mum ever since his expulsion was announced by Prasad on social media, expressed his elation on becoming 'Bade Papa' on his X handle.

"With the grace and blessings of Shri Banke Bihari Ji, I have become 'Bade Papa' with the arrival of the new baby boy. Hearty congratulations and best wishes to younger brother Tejaswi and Raj Shri Yadav... My blessings and love to my nephew," he wrote.

It may be recalled that RJD supremo Lalu Prasad on Sunday expelled Tej Pratap Yadav from the party and snapped all family ties with him, stating that his actions were "irresponsible" and not in accordance with public conduct.

Tej Pratap had on Saturday evening announced on social media that he was "in a relationship for 12 years" with a woman, despite being married and his divorce petition still pending before a family court here. He, however, deleted the post a few hours later, claiming on X that his Facebook page was "hacked".

Prasad, who announced his drastic move on social media, made no mention of the previous day's happenings, but criticised his elder son's actions, public conduct and "irresponsible behaviour", saying "disregard for moral values in personal life weakens our collective struggle to achieve social justice".

He admonished Tej Pratap for behaving in a manner "not in consonance with the values of my family" and declared that "he shall have no role, henceforth, in the party and the family. He is expelled from the party for six years".

The development came with barely a few months left for the Bihar assembly polls, which the RJD will fight under the leadership of Prasad's younger son, Tejashwi Yadav. Born to Prasad and Rabri Devi, both former chief ministers of Bihar, the two brothers are among four of nine siblings active in politics.

Tej Pratap Yadav had made his political debut in the assembly polls of 2015, and is a second-term MLA with two brief stints in the state cabinet.

In his first term, he represented the Mahua assembly segment, but was made to shift base to Hasanpur five years later because of a general perception that he was not very popular among voters.

Unlike his younger brother, who has since emerged as the most popular politician of his generation in the state, Tej Pratap Yadav has been in the news for all the wrong reasons.

Meanwhile, congratulations have been pouring in for Tejashwi Yadav on the birth of his second child.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, in his congratulatory message to Tejashwi, wrote on his X handle, "Hearty congratulations to Tejashwi Yadav Ji on the birth of his son."

Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary also congratulated Tejashwi and wrote on his post on X, "Hearty congratulations and best wishes to Leader of Opposition, Tejashwi Yadav, on the birth of his son."