Patna: The unrest within the Lalu Yadav family escalated on Wednesday as Tej Pratap Yadav launched a striking public criticism of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), cautioning that the party could diminish from 25 seats to just 5 if the so-called ‘new RJD culture’ persists. In an extensive, emotional post on the Instagram account of his new party, Janshakti Janata Dal, Tej Pratap accused his younger brother Tejashwi Yadav of humiliating both him and their sister Rohini Acharya, who recently severed ties with the party following a fierce internal conflict. Tej Pratap remarked that ‘first I was removed, then my sister Rohini was removed like Devi.’ He expressed, ‘The entire Bihar was laughing.
The family that once brought joy and sorrow has become a laughingstock.’ This post has ignited intense political discourse, illustrating a family—and party—divided after a significant electoral defeat. Tej Pratap referenced the party’s seat count over three elections to illustrate its decline: 2015 – 80 seats, 2020 – 75 seats, 2025 – 25 seats. ‘Look at the numbers,’ he stated, contending that the downturn reflects what he termed ‘sycophancy, conspiracies, and arrogance’ within the current leadership. ‘If the attitude remains unchanged, it won’t be long before we go from 25 to 5. The public has already indicated where the error lies.’ He asserted that his expulsion from the party signaled the onset of RJD’s decline.
‘When I was ousted, they thought—Tej Pratap is worthless, what difference will it make? But when I exposed the truth of the new RJD, they realized what they had lost.’ Accusing the party of forsaking Lalu Prasad Yadav’s ideology, he claimed the RJD had now been ‘hijacked by Jayachands,’ stating, ‘Where sycophants replace principles, and conspiracies take the place of dedication, the questions themselves become meaningless.’ In one of his most pointed remarks, Tej Pratap stated, ‘Politics is not about the chair—it is about character.
Bihar is no longer asking who will stay; Bihar is asking who stands with the truth.’ He noted that his new party contested 44 seats and won 5, asserting that this result indicated public disapproval of the current RJD leadership. This family dispute is now playing out on a national stage. This isn’t the first instance of Tej Pratap publicly criticizing Tejashwi, but the intensity of this attack—and the mention of Rohini Acharya—signals a significant escalation.