The Use Of Contrast: How Tej Pratap Yadav Makes Tejashwi Look Like the 'Better Leader'

After a social media post by Tej Pratap Yadav in which he posted about his '12-year-old relationship' with a woman named Anushka Yadav, his father Lalu Yadav has ousted him from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the family.

“Ignoring moral values in personal life weakens our collective struggle for social justice. The activities, public conduct and irresponsible behavior of the eldest son are not in accordance with our family values and traditions. Therefore, due to the above circumstances, I remove him from the party and family. From now on, he will not have any role of any kind in the party and family. He is expelled from the party for 6 years,” tweeted Lalu Yadav.

It might be misleading to look upon this episode as merely a dramatic family fight. There appears much more underneath, the roots of which go as far back as the infamous fodder scam and the threat of political oblivion faced by Lalu Yadav as a consequence of conviction in the cases.

Tej Pratap's Entry

Beginning late 2012, the BJP was looking to severely weaken the RJD in Bihar. Lalu's party was already weakened by memories of 'jungle raj', Nitish’s effort to decriminalise state politics, local satraps leaving it to join dominant parties, and the increasing presence of BJP’s cadre on the ground - something which RJD was known for (not always in a good way).

Even as Narendra Modi was emerging as the eventual prime ministerial candidate of the BJP, Lalu Yadav’s conviction dates were coming closer. For BJP, it was an opportunity to tighten the noose of public perception around Lalu Yadav and RJD.

At such a time, any close confidante of Lalu Yadav and family joining the BJP would become an extremely useful asset for the party.

One of the first choices was Sadhu Yadav, Lalu Yadav’s brother-in-law. Sadhu was considered a key agent of the 'jungle raj'. His potential entry into BJP could bring more of Lalu’s close circle into the party.

Multiple rounds of negotiations, which included a meeting with then Prime Minister candidate Narendra Modi, followed, but nothing substantive could emerge. Sadhu Yadav was suspended from Congress - second biggest setback for him after Lalu Yadav ditched him.

However, Lalu now understood that he could not allow benefactors of his reign to run the party in his absence since they could not be trusted. So, a week before his conviction, on 22 September, 2013 he turned to his sons, both Tej Pratap and Tejashwi Yadav.

Long-time observers in Patna’s power corridors also believe that Tejashwi Yadav alone would have been enough to prevent the leakage of RJD’s power from the family. However, since Tej Pratap Yadav’s public image was of a 'Bhagwan bhakt' (devotee of God), Lalu feared that BJP may take him in its own fold, no matter how alien it may sound.

Both brothers, however, went on different political journeys. Tejashwi Yadav slowly picked up skills in public speaking, backroom negotiations, subtlety, strategic use of phraseology, political terminology, organisation building, and administration. He quickly overshadowed Tej Pratap Yadav and emerged as the relatively suave face of a party whose cadre base is more notorious for hooliganism.

Diverging paths of brothers

In the process, Tejashwi moved away from the old cadre base and is often criticised for ignoring those who helped his father rise up the ranks.

“Now his circle consists mainly of industrialists and ultra-rich people of the state. Individuals like me who left central government job to help Lalu Ji rise are not given proper meeting time,” said a senior who was once close to the most powerful political family in Bihar.

Meanwhile, Tej Pratap Yadav became the embodiment of old-school Lalu-era politics. He went on to carve a political territory of his own, often through his shenanigans.

Contesting from Mahua constituency in Vaishali district, Tej Pratap Yadav secured a victory as one of the key faces of the Mahagathbandhan, comprising the RJD, JD(U), and Congress, which defeated the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the now-famous 2015 Assembly elections.

Tej Pratap was inducted into the Nitish Kumar cabinet as Health, Environment, Forest, and Climate Change Minister. His tenure in the government was marked by both inexperience and a social media blitzkrieg.

His inspection visits focussed more on projecting Tej Pratap as a charismatic administrator, rather than getting actual work done. He could never carve out an image outside of being a dynastic heir reliant on family influence. Once, he even proposed to promote horse-riding as a tool for curbing pollution.

In 2017, Yadav’s impulsiveness took over as he grabbed attention for his threat of skinning Prime Minister Narendra Modi after his father’s security was downgraded from Z-plus to Z.

The reckless remark drew public condemnation, but it was also a cause of enthusiasm among many for the semantics having resemblance to sentiments of the 90s anti-upper caste movement associated with his father.

This incident was one of many where Tej Pratap used unparliamentary language against personal or political opponents.

Alongside politics, Tej Pratap focused on cultivating a spiritual public image. He frequently dresses as Hindu Gods (Lord Krishna or Lord Shiva), plays the flute. At other times he is seen pouring litres of milk on a Shivalinga and hugging it. All this earns him admiration from some and mockery from others. His pilgrimages to Vrindavan and other holy sites to celebrate his parents’ birthdays or anniversaries are also known.

However, these spectacles are often overshadowed by his frequent tussles with politicians and media persons - as YouTuber Ved Prakash would testify. He also clashed with senior RJD leaders and engaged in public spats and scuffles with junior leaders and party workers at RJD events, tarnishing his reputation as a serious politician.

His marriage with Aishwarya Roy, granddaughter of former Bihar chief minister Chandrika Roy, was said to be a 'political alliance', aimed to strengthen RJD’s prospects. However, the marriage collapsed within months.

Meanwhile, Tejashwi was rising in ranks while Tej Pratap Yadav was getting frustrated. In 2019, he quit the RJD’s youth wing to launch the Lalu Rabri Morcha and demanded two Lok Sabha seats for his loyalists in Sheohar and Jehanabad.

Despite Tejashwi’s denial, he fielded them, which also became a catalyst in RJD’s loss on these seats.

Apart from Lalu Rabri Morcha, Tej Pratap has tried his luck by forming or leading organisations like Tej Sena, Chhatra RJD Bharat, Chhatra Janshakti Parishad, and Dharmanirpeksha Sevak Sangh, to assert his influence. The launch of Chhatra Janshakti Parishad was seen as a challenge to Tejashwi’s dominance.

In 2021, his criticism of a senior RJD leader sparked resignation rumours until Lalu intervened. He also targeted Tejashwi’s aide, accusing him of working against his interests. Sanjay Yadav, Tejashwi’s close friend from Haryana, is also considered to be one of the friction points between both brothers.

Tej Pratap Yadav could never stand firm on any of his initiatives—be it his opposing the forced marriage with Aishwarya Roy or his political stunts.

'Usefulness and Uselessness' of Tej Pratap Yadav

In narratives, Tej Pratap started being seen as a lost cause, but his redundancy had a utilitarian value.

For Tejashwi Yadav’s image, Tej Pratap’s failures and personal scandals worked as a low comparative base, using which Tejashwi could be shown as an above-average politician and administrator.

In 2022, when the RJD and JD(U) formed a coalition government, Tej Pratap was reappointed as Environment, Forest, and Climate Change Minister, while his younger brother went on to become the Deputy Chief Minister. Along with being a Deputy CM, Tejashwi also secured major portfolios like departments of Health and Family Welfare, Road Construction, Housing and Urban Development, and Rural Development.

Tejashwi’s last stint as an administrator is seen as a boost to his career. Thousands of latest Bihar government employees, tourist guides, and others credit Tejashwi for their jobs. His tenure, far from being perfect, was nonetheless seen as better than anyone's in RJD’s history.

When Nitish Kumar switched back to the NDA, Tejashwi decided to use the time in Opposition to dilute the legacy of 'jungle raj'. He has been releasing crime bulletins for months in an attempt to impress young voters of a state whose average age is less than 25. The attempt is to flip the 'jungle raj' allegations on the BJP-led NDA government itself.

He also seems worried about the 'Yadavisation' of RJD since Yadavs are now being seen as 'neo-upper caste' among backwards. Social media pages documenting atrocities allegedly committed by members of the Yadav community are getting traction and the RJD getting blamed for it.

Tej Pratap Yadav’s scuffle with Jitan Ram Manjhi’s family was also seen in that light.

In one of his speeches, he requested Yadavs to befriend Dalits and Muslims and not 'behave like feudal lords'.

Old Lalu Yadav vs Young Lalu Yadav in both sons

Tej Pratap is a better representation of a young Lalu Yadav. Theatrical, controversial, unpredictable, impulsive, erratic.

These traits, though extremely human, are rarely found in a politician who aspires for the top post. Instead, these are reminiscent of an average cadre of a political party, an adjective which sounds insulting for someone who grew up in a family full of politicians.

In his early years, the RJD supremo would stop his convoy and knock on the doors of a poor family. On Sundays, he would pick children from a slum and bathe them with his own hands. On the other hand, he would treat officers with utter disdain, asking them to prepare tobacco for chewing.

Why the decision

Looking at RJD’s history, in another era, Tej Pratap's social media post would not have made it to the disqualification cut-off. This is the same party which kept Sadhu Yadav and Subhash Yadav in its ranks for years, despite Lalu Yadav asking Rabri Devi not to sign on something given to her by either of them. RJD has consistently sided with convicted individuals, provided that they bring votes.

But Tej Pratap had to go probably because elections are nearing and the new RJD faction unhappy with the old RJD image wants to use this opportunity for signalling during an election in which nationalism, clean politics, and administrative efficiency are going to be key themes.

They want to establish that negative perception associated with party leaders is not endorsed from the top, even if it involves a member of the Lalu family. Tej Pratap’s expulsion is an example of it.

But the problem is how will RJD balance its cash incentive announcement for women with the distress of two women (Aishwarya and Anushka) in their own family.

In the infamous web series Mirzapur, Pankaj Tripathi's character Kalin Bhaiya says at one point, "When the time comes to make a sacrifice, it’s the soldier who is sacrificed; the king and the prince stay alive only to sit on the throne"

Tej Pratap has always been treated as a soldier rather than kingship material.