Patna: The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) rebel Tej Pratap Yadav has once again found himself at the centre of political and personal controversy, after a remark he made during the 2025 Bihar assembly elections – “I will die but will not return to the RJD” – resurfaced following the birth of a child to a woman named Anushka Yadav.
Yadav, the son of former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad, had made the statement while campaigning after his expulsion from the RJD, framing it as a matter of self-respect. The comment, widely discussed during the elections, has now regained traction on social media and in political circles amid claims linking him to Anushka Yadav and her newborn daughter.
At the heart of the renewed debate is a medical prescription that has gone viral online. The document, dated October 7, 2025 purportedly shows 27-year-old Anushka Yadav receiving treatment at Varlika Motherhood Hospital in Kankarbagh, Patna, under the care of Dr Ritu Raj. Tej Pratap Yadav’s name appears on the prescription as Anushka Yadav’s husband, alongside details of her blood pressure, health condition and treatment.
Further fuelling speculation, a photograph allegedly showing Tej Pratap Yadav with Dr Raj has also circulated widely on social media, with supporters and critics alike citing it as corroboration of the claims surrounding the medical report.
Yadav has categorically denied any connection to Anushka Yadav or her child. Addressing a press conference on February 8, he described the allegations as a conspiracy to defame him. “I have no relationship with Anushka Yadav or her child,” he said, alleging that unnamed individuals were deliberately trying to frame him. Using the term “Jaichand” – a historical reference often used in Indian political discourse to denote betrayal – he accused several people of acting against him.
He named five individuals, including former MLA Mukesh Roshan and Sanjay Yadav, accusing them of operating as a group to malign his reputation. Yadav also claimed he had been forced out of his own home and said the controversy was part of a wider attempt to damage him politically.
The episode follows a series of dramatic events in the lead-up to the 2025 elections. Before polling began, a photograph of Tej Pratap Yadav with Anushka Yadav was shared from his official social media account, accompanied by a message expressing affection. Yadav later claimed his account had been hacked and described the incident as a conspiracy. Shortly afterwards, Lalu Prasad Yadav expelled his son from the RJD for six years, citing indiscipline and conduct unbecoming of the party.
Following his expulsion, Tej Pratap Yadav launched a new political outfit, the Janshakti Janata Dal (JJD), and campaigned across several districts. At a rally in Vaishali, he reiterated his defiance of the RJD leadership, declaring that his self-respect mattered more than returning to the party.
With the latest controversy, political observers say any prospect of reconciliation between Tej Pratap Yadav and the RJD now appears remote. As questions continue to swirl around the authenticity of the medical report and the motivations behind its circulation, Yadav’s earlier vow not to return to his former party has taken on renewed significance, underscoring the depth of the rupture within one of Bihar’s most prominent political families.
