Daijiworld Media Network - Patna

Patna, Oct 28: Jantantrik Janata Dal (JJD) president Tej Pratap Yadav launched a scathing attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and his younger brother Tejashwi Yadav on Tuesday, declaring that neither could be regarded as a Jan Nayak (people’s leader).

Speaking to reporters in Patna, Tej Pratap asserted that the country’s true Jan Nayaks were Karpoori Thakur, Ram Manohar Lohia, Bhim Rao Ambedkar, and Mahatma Gandhi — not today’s politicians.

“Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav are not Jan Nayaks. They thrive under my father’s blessings. If Lalu Prasad Yadav withdraws his support, both will be reduced to zero,” he said.

Continuing his criticism, Tej Pratap added that he would only acknowledge Tejashwi as a leader “if he achieves something independently.”

“I am contesting elections without my father’s backing. If Tejashwi can do the same and still succeed, I’ll be the first to appreciate him,” he remarked.

Tej Pratap Yadav, the elder son of Lalu Prasad Yadav, is contesting the upcoming 2025 Bihar Assembly elections from Mahua on the ticket of his newly formed party, Jantantrik Janata Dal (JJD). His party has also fielded candidates in several other constituencies across the state.

A former Health Minister of Bihar, Tej Pratap first entered the Assembly in 2015, winning from Mahua on an RJD ticket during the Mahagathbandhan regime. He later shifted to Hasanpur constituency in Samastipur district for the 2020 Assembly polls, securing victory again.

However, his political journey took a dramatic turn following a controversy involving photographs with a woman named Anushka Yadav, which went viral on social media. The incident prompted RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav to expel Tej Pratap from both the party and the family for six years.

Now steering his own political outfit, Tej Pratap has been campaigning vigorously across Bihar, positioning himself as an independent leader free from his father’s influence, and determined to prove his political mettle on his own terms.