Patna (Bihar) [India], June 14 : Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary on Saturday took a jibe at the expulsion of former Bihar minister Tej Pratap Yadav from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), saying that fear of public opinion is important in politics.
"Fear of public opinion is very important in politics. Politicians especially need to take care of this," Choudhary told reporters.
In May, RJD Chief Lalu Yadav expelled his eldest son from the party for six years, accusing him of disregarding moral values and harming the family's principles.
The decision followed a controversial Facebook post by Tej Pratap in which he revealed a 12-year-long relationship with a woman named Anushka, a post he later said was the result of his account being "hacked". The post prompted netizens to recall his marital dispute that made headlines a few years ago.
Notably, Yadav had tied the knot with Aishwarya, granddaughter of former Bihar Chief Minister Daroga Rai. However, within a few months, Aishwarya left his house, alleging that she was driven out by her husband and in-laws, and the couple's divorce petition is pending before the family court.
In a statement on X, Lalu Yadav said, "The activities, public behaviour, and irresponsible conduct of my eldest son are not in line with our family's values and cultural ethos. Ignoring moral values in personal life weakens our collective struggle for social justice. The activities, public conduct and irresponsible behaviour of the eldest son are not in accordance with our family values and traditions."
He further announced, "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 six years. He is capable of seeing the good and bad and merits and demerits of his personal life."
Earlier on June 1, after being expelled from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and disowned by his father, Lalu Prasad Yadav, Tej Pratap said that his blessings will always be on his brother Tejashwi Yadav, and no one will be able to separate them.
In a reference to the characters in the Mahabharata, Tej Pratap said that those who dream of separating him from his Arjun (brother) will never succeed in their conspiracies.
"Those who dream of separating me from my Arjun, you will never succeed in your conspiracies; you can take Krishna's army, but not Krishna himself. I will soon expose every conspiracy," he said on X.
"Just have faith, my brother; I am with you in every situation. Right now, I am far away, but my blessings were and will always be with you. My brother, take care of mummy papa, Jaichand is everywhere, inside as well as outside," he added.
The development comes ahead of the Assembly elections in Bihar that are slated for polls later this year.