Lalu’s once powerful brother-in-law upset over Tejashwi marrying a Christian

PTI, Dec 12, 2021, 1:28 PM IST

Kolkata: The hurried wedding of Lalu Prasad’s younger son, to which many near and dear ones could not be invited, has opened a can of worms for the family of the RJD president.

Sadhu Yadav, the once loyal younger brother of Prasad’s wife and former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi, has joined issue with his nephew Tejashwi Yadav marrying a Christian girl.

Soundbite hungry news platforms are having a field day as Sadhu Yadav, out of sight and out of mind for long, has chosen to wash a lot of dirty linen in public.

The former MP’s litany of allegations against his once in power and still powerful brother-in-law includes ”financing” Bollywood blockbuster ”Gangaajal” which re-launched the career of producer- director Prakash Jha.

The movie’s antagonist was, incidentally, named ”Sadhu Yadav” which, his namesake claims, was a ploy by his sister’s husband to ”defame and get rid of me”.

Interestingly, the first and only stint enjoyed by Sadhu Yadav as a Lok Sabha member came in 2004, a year after the movie was released, when he got elected from Gopalganj on an RJD ticket.

The maternal uncle has claimed that both his nephews have been dissolute, ”a fact every official in Bihar, even Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, is aware of”. ”Because of the disgrace Tej Pratap and Tejashwi have brought to the family their younger relatives are finding it difficult to find a match,” says the disgruntled relative, who has been known for intemperate speech and action.

Tej Pratap, the elder but less sagacious of the two brothers, has reacted with trademark impetuosity. In a risqué tweet in Bhojpuri, he has warned his uncle against ”coming out of your trousers”.

One of Prasad’s daughters Rohini Acharya, who resides in Singapore but retains a keen interest in the power play back home, came out with a social media post likening her maternal uncle to ”Kansa”, the mythical demon king of Mathura whom Lord Krishna had to slay despite ties of blood.

In the midst of the nasty family drama, the BJP, which is the JD(U)’s principal ally, has come out with its own complaint against the marriage.

BJP OBC Morcha national secretary and state spokesman Nikhil Anand came out with a tweet saying Tejashwi should have ”dared more” and married the girl he loved ”without making her change her religion”. Nobody from the Prasad family has said Rachel Iris, Tejashwi’s wife, converted to Hinduism before the wedding.

Notably, the BJP and the Sangh Parivar have been strong votaries of ”ghar waapasi” of Indian Muslims and Christians.

Meanwhile, Tejashwi, who is now firmly in saddle as the party’s de facto leader, may spend a month enjoying marital bliss.

His family’s close aide and former MLA Bhola Yadav has said that the leader of the opposition is now likely to return to home turf not until next month since the inauspicious ”Kharmaas” starts on December 14 and bringing a new bride to her marital home during the period is avoided.