Forced to marry for political benefits: Tej

“I was made a scapegoat for political benefits of several people in my family and party,” Tej Pratap Yadav, elder son of Rashtriya Janta Dal chief Lalu Prasad, said in Gaya on Saturday, a day after he stunned his family and friends by filing for divorce from his wife of six months, Aishwarya Rai.

“There is no match between us. We both come from extremely different backgrounds. Our culture and grooming are poles apart. I was never ready for the wedding. I kept pleading my parents and also discussed my feelings with brother Tejashwi and sisters but nobody took me seriously. ..,” Tej Pratap said before leaving for Ranchi to meet his ailing father, who is serving a jail term there.

Tej Pratap, a sitting Rashtriya Janta Dal MLA and a former Bihar minister, added that he was made a scapegoat for political benefits of several people in his family and party.

“There is no going back on my decision. Arrow has been shot. I won’t budge even if the Prime Minister intervenes,” said a visibly upset Tej Pratap Yadav.

In what was considered one of the most high-profile weddings in the country in 2018, Tej Pratap had married Aishwarya, daughter of former minister, Chandrika Rai and granddaughter of former Bihar chief minister, Daroga Rai on May 12 this year.

Immediately after their engagement, there were murmurs of ‘mismatch’ in the alliance, with Aishwarya having completed her post graduation from Delhi’s Lady Sri Ram College while Tej Pratap had dropped studies after class 11.

All seemed well initially with mother-in-law Rabri Devi calling Aishwarya the ‘Laxmi’ of the house.

However, six months down, things seemed to unravel.

A devout Hindu, who spends most of the time visiting temples and on pilgrimages, Tej Pratap Yadav had recently been to Vrindavan and had returned last weekend.

“Aishwarya never complied and adjusted with my thinking and approach towards life. I never thought I would be inviting a mess in my life by tying the knot. There would be no looking back,” he said.

He held a few party leaders responsible for convincing his parents to agree to the wedding.

“After the marriage, as expected, we had spats and bitter conflicts on several occasions,” Tej Pratap said and added he tried his best to save the marriage but could not.

His friends, however, feel that Lalu may be able to broker peace between the couple.

“Differences crop up between couples. This is one such case”, a friend accompanying him to Ranchi said.

There is no match between us... I was made a scapegoat for political benefits of several people in family and party. TEJ PRATAP YADAV, RJD leader