Lalu being held hostage in Delhi, says Tej Pratap; Tejashwi rejects remark
PATNA: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tej Pratap Yadav’s remarks that party chief Lalu Prasad was being held “hostage” in Delhi intensified his rivalry with his younger sibling Tejashwi Yadav, who said on Sunday that such claims don’t match his father’s stature, who was once the chief minister of Bihar.
On Saturday, Tej Pratap alleged that his father was held “hostage” in New Delhi despite getting bail in several corruption cases earlier this year. Taking a swipe at Tejashwi, Tej Pratap said those dreaming of becoming the party’s national president will never succeed.
“Laluji is not being allowed to come to Patna and those dreaming of becoming the party’s president are keeping him ‘hostage’ in New Delhi. The RJD chief is not being allowed to come to Patna despite having spent several months in the national capital after being released from jail in April. I do not want to take names as everybody knows them,” he said.
The RJD chief is recuperating from a long spell of illness at the residence of his elder daughter, Misa Bharti, in the national capital. In a recent virtual interaction with RJD leaders, he had said he would soon visit Patna and tour every district in the state.
“The way the party is functioning will not help to strengthen its organisation but only weaken it,” Tej Pratap said.
Responding to the allegations on Sunday, Tejashwi said: “Laluji has been the chief minister of Bihar for a long time and also a central minister. He was instrumental in the election of two former prime ministers. He had also arrested Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) patriarch Lal
Krishna Advani. The personality of Laluji does not match with the allegations made.”
For the past few months, Tej Pratap has been at loggerheads with Tejashwi and RJD state chief Jagdanand Singh, apparently over his diminishing clout in the party.
In August, Tej Pratap had accused Singh of acting in an arbitrary manner. Following his remarks, reports suggested that Singh had offered to step down from his post but was persuaded not to by the RJD chief.
On August 8, Tej Pratap referred to Singh as “Hitler” at a meeting of the party’s student wing.
Reports suggest that Tej Pratap is also angry with Tejashwi and Singh over the party’s decision to remove Akash Yadav, who is believed to be close to Lalu’s elder son, as RJD’S youth state chief.
Reacting to Tej Pratap’s allegation, state Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Nikhil Anand said: “Though it is an internal matter of Lalu’s family, our concerns about the RJD chief’s health and well being is natural. We feel Tejashwi should issue a clarification (over his remarks) so that we can be assured of Yadav’s wellbeing. We pray that the RJD chief keeps good health and stays safe.”