Patna: In a calculated political move, former Union Minister and Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party (RLJP) chief Pashupati Kumar Paras has expelled Akash Yadav, the elder brother of Anushka Yadav and a close aide of Tej Pratap Yadav, from the party for a period of six years. The decision appears to be aimed at insulating the RLJP from the intensifying family drama within the Lalu family.
Akash Yadav, who had recently been appointed national president of the RLJP’s youth wing, had joined the party after being ousted from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), where his proximity to Tej Pratap had drawn internal criticism. His expulsion from the RLJP now marks another setback as the intra-family dispute deepens.
Sources close to Paras said the minister is keen to avoid any entanglement with the Lalu Prasad family at a time when he is recalibrating his political strategy following his exit from the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Paras, aware of the sensitive optics around Tej Pratap’s strained relationship with his family and his controversial association with Anushka Yadav, is said to have viewed Akash’s presence in the party as a liability.
While Akash has not directly addressed his expulsion, he has been vocal in the media in support of Tej Pratap, defending his sister Anushka and condemning what he described as efforts to defame her. He has also criticised the Lalu family for refusing to acknowledge the relationship between Tej Pratap and Anushka, though he has refrained from commenting on reports of their marriage.
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