A new turn in the politics of Bihar came when Lalu Prasad Yadav’s elder son and former state minister Tej Pratap Yadav announced on Friday that he would prefer death than returning to the Rashtriya Janata Dal. This statement is also important because Lalu Prasad Yadav had expelled him from the party only a few months ago.
Tej Pratap said in an interview that he will now contest elections from Mahua assembly seat from his new party Janashakti Janata Dal. The same seat from where he started his political journey in 2015. He said that I am not hungry for power. For me, principles and self-respect are supreme. People love me and trust me.
He claimed that when he was an MLA, the problems of the people of Mahua were solved. But now people do not find anyone for help. When he was asked the question of returning to RJD, he bluntly replied that I would rather die than return to RJD.
Tej Pratap also commented on his younger brother and India Alliance’s chief ministerial candidate Tejashwi Yadav. He said that he is my younger brother, I am not angry with him. I cannot run Sudarshan Chakra on him. Tej Pratap also told that while filing nomination papers, he had put the picture of his grandmother Marichia Devi, from whom his father Lalu Yadav had got blessings in politics.
He told that he has not talked to his parents in recent times, but he believes that their blessings are always with him. While campaigning in Mahua, he said that his strength is the people and an elderly freedom fighter is also traveling with him, who had seen Mahatma Gandhi with his own eyes.
Tej Pratap also attacked the NDA government and said that now the public will not get trapped in the conspiracies of BJP-RSS. He said that he is contesting with the blackboard election symbol of his new party and his real objective is to serve the public and not power politics.
When asked questions on Prashant Kishor, Tej Pratap said that he is just a businessman, who works for publicity and gathering resources for political parties. He reiterated that he does politics of principles and the love of the people is his biggest strength. This statement of Tej Pratap clearly indicates that he has now resolved to come out of the shadow of his family and move forward on an independent political path.
