Patna: Tej Pratap Yadav, the estranged elder son of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav, has denied media reports suggesting he is planning to launch a new political outfit following his dramatic expulsion from both the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Lalu family.
In a late-night post on social media on Thursday, Tej Pratap Yadav dismissed the reports as “misleading” and blamed unnamed “Jaichands”—a term in Indian politics used to describe traitors—for fuelling the rumours. He also appealed to the people of Bihar not to trust such claims.
“This is too much,” he wrote. “These Jaichands are now spreading rumours that I am forming a new political party. I appeal to the people of Bihar not to believe any such misleading news.” He signed off his message with “Jai RJD, Jai Hind, Jai Bihar”, in what many interpreted as a signal that he has not entirely severed ties with the party’s ideology, if not its leadership.
Alongside the statement, Tej Pratap shared older photographs of himself with his father Lalu Prasad, in an apparent attempt to reclaim his association with the RJD’s legacy. The development comes just days after a political storm erupted within the RJD, leading to Tej Pratap’s six-year expulsion from the party by his father. Reports also surfaced that he had been disowned by the family, deepening the rift in Bihar’s most prominent political dynasty.
Speculation intensified after a video posted on his X (formerly Twitter) account showed Yadav entering a new office and taking a seat at a desk—widely interpreted by observers as a move towards launching a new political front. Several media outlets reported that the former environment minister might be preparing to float his own party. However, Tej Pratap Yadav has since categorically denied the claim.
The past few weeks have seen the 35-year-old at the centre of multiple controversies. Last month, his social media account posted a photo of him with a woman named Anushka Yadav, accompanied by the claim that they had been in a relationship for 12 years. The post was later deleted, with Tej Pratap Yadav alleging his account had been hacked. Despite this, further photos of the pair soon surfaced online, fuelling further public scrutiny.
