Fodder scam convict and RJD leader Lalu Yadav‘s elder son Tej Pratap Yadav, who recently filed for divorce from his wife of six months, Aishwarya Rai, has reportedly claimed that he was made a scapegoat for the political benefits of his family members. Rai is the daughter of a former minister, Chandrika Rai and granddaughter of former BJP chief minister Daroga Rai.
“I was never ready for the wedding. I kept pleading my parents and also discussed my feelings with my brother Tejashwi and sisters but no one took me seriously,” said Yadav before leaving for Ranchi to meet his father who is serving a jail term there. Yadav, who has not even passed his 12th board exams, has called his marriage to Rai, a Miranda House, Delhi University graduate and an MBA, a ‘mismatch’.
After meeting his father in RIMS, where Lalu Yadav is undergoing treatment for his ailment as he serves his jail sentence, Tej Pratap said that he is determined to go ahead with the divorce proceedings. Lalu Yadav, reportedly asked Tej Pratap to wait for him to come out to discuss the matter.
Tej Pratap had married Aishwarya in May 2018. As per reports, Tej Pratap is seeking divorce under the sections 13 (1) (1A) that deals with cruelty by the spouse. His petition is reportedly scheduled for a hearing in Patna civil court on November 29. Reports claim that the divorce proceedings might not be smooth as the Hindu Marriage Act does not usually grant a divorce within a year of marriage.
Reports of conflicts and trouble within the Yadav family have been around since long. Earlier, there were reports of a possible rivalry between Tej Pratap and his younger brother Tejaswi, who was the deputy CM of Bihar in the RJD-JDU alliance government. Tej Pratap is also an MLA and was the health minister when RJD held power.
The Yadav family is also facing probe from central agencies like ED and CBI in several scams. The Income Tax department has also seized many of the benami properties belonging to Lalu’s family.
It is notable here that Tej Pratap has always managed to be in the news for his behaviour and activities. On occasions, he had dressed up as Krishna or Lord Shiva. He had also accused Bihar CM Nitish Kumar of unleashing ‘ghosts’ to haunt the Yadav family.
