Bihar: Speculation rife over ‘missing’ Tejashwi Prasad Yadav

PATNA: Jailed RJD chief Lalu Prasad’s heir apparent and younger son Tejashwi Prasad Yadav is ‘missing’ from public space ever since his party’s rout in the Lok Sabha polls in Bihar.
The only time the younger Yadav scion was seen in public was during the meeting to review the poll debacle at his mother and former CM Rabri Devi’s 10 Circular Road residence on May 28.
He was also not seen at two big family events— an Iftar party hosted by Rabri on June 2 and Lalu’s 72nd birthday on June 11, which was observed by RJD workers as “Avataran divas”, a phrase usually used for deities and holy figures.
Party functionaries too are surprised at Tejashwi’s absence. “We were told that Tejashwi is in Delhi, but he did not attend party MLA and Lalu ji’s closest aide Bhola Yadav’s daughter wedding in the national capital on June 10, though Misa Bharti was present. Tejashwi was also missing on Lalu Ji’s 72nd birthday celebrated in Delhi party office. Misa ji was again present on the occasion,” said a senior party functionary.
A Tejashwi aide told TOI on Thursday that the younger Yadav scion was in Delhi for the past couple of weeks but had gone outstation and will be back in the next few days.
Incidentally, Tejashwi is also facing flak from a section of his own party workers on the debacle faced in the first elections fought by the Mahagathbandhan under his leadership.
RJD’s Gaighat MLA Maheshwar Yadav had demanded Tejashwi’s resignation after the polls. Former Bihar CM and Ham (S) chief Jitan Ram Manjhi on May 30 refused to accept Tejashwi as the leader of Mahagatbandhan for the upcoming assembly elections in Bihar.
Of the five allies, including RJD, Congress, HAM (S), RLSP and VIP, only Congress could manage to win the lone Kishanganj seat out of the 40 constituencies in the state.
A majority of the leadership in Bihar Congress is now in favour of parting ways with the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan and go it alone in the upcoming polls.
Senior RJD functionaries have blamed the rift between Tejashwi and his elder brother Tej Pratap for the poll drubbing. RJD national vice-president Raghuvansh Prasad Singh had said on May 28 that the rift between both brothers remained a weakness of the party.