Lalu joins Tej Pratap’s feast, Tejashwi stays away

Patna: RJD chief Lalu Prasad on Wednesday joined the “chura-dahi” feast hosted by his estranged elder son, Tej Pratap Yadav, to mark Makar Sankranti, but his younger son, Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, remained conspicuous by his absence till the time of going to the press, indicating all is not well in the Lalu family still.Several NDA ministers also joined the feast. However, what remained the talk of the town was the way Tej Pratap dressed himself in a saffron kurta to welcome the guests.Lalu had expelled Tej Pratap in May last year and also publicly severed family ties, citing his son’s “irresponsible behaviour” as a result of a controversy surrounding a photograph of the latter with a woman that went viral on social media.Since then, the Lalu family cut off all ties with him as an irked Tej Pratap floated his own Janshakti Janata Dal (JJD) and fielded candidates against the opposition alliance in the recently concluded Bihar assembly elections, although it lost all.Everyone got surprised when Lalu reached his son’s residence to join the event. Sporting black glasses, following his eye surgery, and looking uneasy in the sparkling sun, Lalu gave company to governor Arif Mohammed Khan to enjoy the feast, but left shortly thereafter.Although he did not interact with the media, the RJD chief said he was not angry with Tej Pratap. “Tej Pratap has my blessings; he will now stay with the family,” Lalu said before leaving the venue, signalling a renewed familial bond.However, the absence of Tejashwi from the event amply conveyed that uneasiness in ties still prevails, drawing bitter remarks from his elder brother. “He might be surrounded by ‘Jaichands’ (traitors). That’s why he is not coming,” Tej Pratap told the reporters on Wednesday. Stating that the presence of his father gave him all the happiness, he suggested Tejashwi merge his party, RJD, with the JJD. His maternal uncle, Sadhu Yadav, who was not in cordial terms with the Lalu family, also attended the feast and hoped that everything will end on a happy note.In contrast to his close family members who gave the event a miss, several NDA ministers and leaders attended the event. They included Deputy CM Vijay Kumar Sinha and JD(U) minister Ashok Kumar Choudhary. “We may have differences with his actions, behaviour and policies, but we are together so far as promoting the ‘Sanatan’ culture is concerned,” Sinha told the reportes on Wednesday. He remained tight-lipped when asked about Tej Pratap joining their company.Choudhary said Tej Pratap personally reached out to him to extend an invite. “Politics must not come in the way of a social event,” the JD(U) minister said. Asked about Tej Pratap joining the NDA camp, he said he would not comment on the matter. “It’s the issue to be decided by the party high command,” Choudhary said.Adding a fresh twist to the event, RJD leader and former minister Shivanand Tiwari said Tejashwi was nowhere to be seen right now while Tej Pratap stole the show. “Today’s feast is immersed in the colours of politics. If a person, who appears to be completely drenched in this colour, it is Tej Pratap, while Tejashwi is completely out of sight,” Tiwari said. “There is silence at 10, Circular Road (the residence of Rabri Devi)... The place where RJD workers from every corner of Bihar once used to arrive to attend this event looks entirely deserted,” he added.