Lalu Yadav removes son Tej Pratap from party, family for "Ignoring Moral Values"

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) patron Lalu Prasad Yadav on Sunday expelled his elder son Tej Pratap Yadav from the party for six years, citing his "irresponsible conduct" and deviation from the family's values and public decorum.

The decision came a day after the former Bihar minister shared a post on social media, where he had declared that he was in a relationship with a young woman named Anushka Yadav for 12 years. Later he claimed that his Facebook page was “hacked".

Announcing the move in a social media post, the former Bihar Chief Minister said that ignoring moral values in personal life weakens the party's collective struggle for social justice, adding that the conduct of Tej Pratap was not in line with family values or traditions.

"He is capable of differentiating between the good and bad and the merits and demerits of his personal life. Whoever will have relations with him should make a decision at their own discretion. I have always been an advocate of public shame in public life. The obedient members of the family have adopted and followed this idea in public life. Thank you," he added.

Lalu Yadav's younger son and Tej Prata's younger brother, Tejashwi Yadav, shared his thoughts on the development while speaking to the media in Patna on Sunday, and said that, according to him, one should keep their political and personal life separate.

Meanwhile, Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United) hit out at Laly Prasady Yadav, calling his move an eyewash by the RJD patron in the wake of the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections.

Notably, Tej Pratap’s divorce case with Aishwarya Rai remains stuck in court. His marriage to Rai, granddaughter of ex-Bihar CM Daroga Rai, collapsed within months, with Aishwarya accusing her husband and in-laws of throwing her out. Aishwarya's father, Chandrika Roy — himself a former minister, quit the RJD in protest, pledging to fight the battle "politically and legally".

On Saturday, the purported post garnered a lot of attention on the social media platform. While many people praised Tej 'Pratap's courage, some netizens were curious to know whether this relationship would now lead to marriage. In a Hindi clarification shared shortly after the viral post, Tej Pratap wrote: "My social media platforms have been hacked and my photos are being edited inappropriately to harass and defame me and my family. I appeal to my well-wishers and followers to stay alert and not pay attention to any rumours".