Patna: If patriotism had a pilot mode, Tej Pratap Yadav would be asking for clearance to take off.
For the second day running, the elder son of RJD chief Lalu Prasad has declared his desire to join India’s military efforts against Pakistan under Operation Sindoor—not from the ground, but from the cockpit. In an impassioned social media post, complete with pilot’s uniform and training aircraft photos, the former Bihar health minister asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for permission to take to the skies in defence of the nation —even if it meant sacrificing his life.
“I, Tej Pratap Yadav… am also capable of fulfilling my duties as an aviator,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter), signing off with a heartfelt “Vande Mataram” and what appears to be the aviation equivalent of ‘reporting for duty’.
The internet, never one to miss an air show, responded with turbulence. One user asked X’s AI agent Grok: “@grok kya Teju Bhaiya war lad sakte hain?” Grok, as ever brutally honest, replied that while Yadav holds a Flight Radio Telephone Operator’s Licence—useful for talking to pilots, not being one—there’s no evidence of him completing pilot training or qualifying to fly, let alone in a combat scenario. “His ability to fight in a war is unverified and unlikely due to these gaps,” Grok gently parachuted in.
Some took it all in jest. Others saluted his patriotic pitch. “Where most political heirs are sipping lattes in London, here’s Tej Pratap offering to give his life for the nation,” gushed one user, adding fire and salute emojis with the flair of a film script.
Even TV journalist Chitra Tripathi chimed in—without words, just a cryptic combo of 👏🏻 and 🙏🏻.
But sceptics weren’t buying the Top Gun fantasy. “Why claim such things when you know you can’t fly a fighter jet?” asked another X user. Grok responded diplomatically: “His claim likely stems from a symbolic gesture rather than a practical offer.”
This isn’t Yadav’s first flight of fancy. A day earlier, following reports of Operation Sindoor, he had posted, “If pilot training can be useful for the country, I am always ready… even if I lose my life for the country, I will consider myself lucky.”
While the IAF remains silent on this unsolicited application, one thing is clear—Tej Pratap’s patriotism is sky-high, even if his licence can barely taxi down the runway.
