Patna: Leader of opposition in the Bihar assembly and Lalu Prasad’s younger son Tejashwi on Sunday dismissed talk of a rift between him and his elder brother Tej Pratap Yadav, saying “we should not make a mountain out of a molehill".
The reaction comes a day after Tej Pratap warned his brother against outsiders trying to create differences between them, apart from accusing Tejashwi of trying to sideline him in the party.
Tej Pratap said on Saturday, “We all do politics. But the kind of politics that is being played in RJD right now is extremely saddening. There are certain anti-social elements who have entered the party and are trying to ruin the party."
Reacting to his brother’s charges, Tejashwi said, “It is very evident Tej Pratap ji spoke on strength of the party. He spoke about how to unify and strengthen our party, ahead of 2019 (general election) and 2020 (Bihar assembly election). Unhone spasht kaha hai Tejashwi kaleje ka tukda hai (He has said it clearly that Tejashwi is the apple of his eyes)."
Tejashwi, who referred to his elder brother as his “guide", said it was evident that he made the remarks in an effort to strengthen the party.
“We shouldn't make mountain out of a molehill. We must focus on discrepancies in education — how students were given 38 out of 35 marks — how 44 young girls were raped. If you ignore this, Bihar isn't going to benefit at all."
Tejashwi’s growth as Lalu Prasad’s heir apparent in the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) fold seems to have touched a raw nerve with Tej Pratap, who was a cabinet minister in Bihar when the RJD was a part of the government with Nitish Kumar.
Political analysts are of the opinion that the internal differences in the state’s single-largest party could prove to be political ammunition in the hands of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Janata Dal (United) ahead of the 2019 elections.
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