Tej Pratap Yadav's "Blessings" Post For Newborn Nephew After Family Snub

Two days after he was expelled from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) over a Facebook fiasco, Lalu Prasad Yadav's elder son Tej Pratap Yadav today congratulated younger brother Tejashwi Yadav on his son's birth and extended love and blessings to the little one.

"With the grace of Banke Bihari ji, I have been lucky to become an uncle. My heartfelt wishes to younger brother Tejashwi Prasad Yadav and (sister-in-law) Rajshree Yadav. Love and blessings to the nephew," Tej Pratap said in a post on X.

Tejashwi, RJD's chairman, and his wife Rajshree welcomed a baby boy this morning. The couple has a two-year-old daughter Katyayani.

The joy in the RJD first family comes days after party patriarch Lalu Prasad Yadav expelled Tej Pratap for six years over a Facebook post.

On Saturday, a photograph was shared on Tej Pratap's Facebook account. It showed him with a woman. The post identified the woman as Anushka Yadav and said she and Tej Pratap were in a relationship for 12 years. "I am Tej Pratap Yadav and the girl who is seen with me in this picture is Anushka Yadav. We have known each other for the last 12 years and love each other deeply. We have been in a relationship throughout these years. I wanted to share this with all of you for a long time, but couldn't find the right words. Today, through this post, I am opening my heart to you. I hope you all will understand."

The post started a chatter, as people asked why Tej Pratap married if he was already in a relationship. The RJD leader married Aishwarya Rai, daughter of political heavyweight Chandrika Rai, in 2018. The couple separated months later and a divorce case is on.

Amid the chatter over the Facebook post, Tej Pratap claimed his profile had been hacked. "My social media platform was hacked and my photographs were edited wrongfully," he wrote on X.

The damage control did not work and the next day, Lalu Yadav announced the decision to expel Tej Pratap from the party. He said "ignoring moral values" in personal life weakens the community's struggle for social justice. "The elder son's activities, public behaviour and irresponsible conduct are not in line with our family's values. In the current circumstances, I remove him from the party and the family. From now on, he will have no role in the party and the family. He has been expelled from the party for six years," he said.

Responding to his father's decision, Tejashwi, who has emerged as Lalu Yadav's political heir, said some things "cannot be tolerated". "He (Tej Pratap) has the right to make his personal decisions. He is an adult and free to make decisions. Our party's chief has made it clear."

Lalu Yadav's daughter Rohini Acharya said those who keep "family", "upbringing" and "decorum" in mind never face questions.