BH-RJD-SONS

Lalus sons seen back in action after a long time, hit the
streets in Patna
Patna, Aug 22 (PTI) After a prolonged sulk over the Lok
Sabha poll debacle for which they indirectly blamed each
other, RJD supremo Lalu Prasads sons- Tejashwi Yadav and Tej
Pratap Yadav- appear to have agreed to come out of their
shells and bury their hatchet.
The scions gave up their squabble and hit the streets late
Wednesday night here when they staged a demonstration that
lasted for several hours in protest against the demolition, by
municipal authorities, of a doodh mandi (milk market) in the
vicinity of the Patna Junction.
Tej Pratap Yadav, the elder of the two, has for long been
alleging that the younger brother surrounded by sycophants was
being misled into taking political decisions that were hurting
the party.
Tejashwi has refrained from reacting in public but is
understood to have been upset over the frequent outbursts of
his elder brother whose renegade stance during the Lok Sabha
polls is said to have contributed to the partys dismal show
in the general elections wherein the RJD, for the first time,
failed to win a single seat.
Prasad, who had founded the party in 1997, is away in
Ranchi serving sentences in fodder scam cases while his
family, which controls the party in his absence, has of late
left the cadres confounded with the infighting.
On Wednesday, clamour for a generational change in the RJD
arose with many party legislators speaking out in favour of
heir apparent Tejashwi Yadav replacing his ailing and jailed
father Lalu Prasad as the national president
The demand by RJD MLAs could be seen in the backdrop of
reports of family feud between Tejashwi and his two siblings
active in politics- elder brother Tej Pratap Yadav and eldest
sister Misa Bharti, a Rajya Sabha member.
Things appeared to have changed when the brothers hit the
streets in protest against about a score of shops being razed
in a drive carried out to remove encroachments from the
crowded and congested streets that adjoin the railway station.
The dharna in which the brothers were joined by many
leaders of their party including MLA, national general
secretary and family aide Bhola Yadav, was reminiscent of the
colourful politicking that was a characteristic of Lalu Prasad
in his hey days, with fiery speeches and impromptu songs.
The leaders and their followers carried their dharna into
the thick of the night, braving intermittent showers and
mosquitoes and insects that hovered around the water-logged
streets.
The stir was called off after a written assurance from
the municipal authorities that all the shops will be relocated
at a distance of not more than 1.5 kilometres from the railway
station.
Tejashwi Yadav, who returned to his home town only
Wednesday morning after a prolonged absence, announced
triumphantly sharing a screenshot of the letter from the
municipal authorities after an eight-hour-long dharna, an
assurance had come from the administration in the wee hours
at 3 A.M. We have been fighting and will continue to fight.
Our struggle is always for the poor, never for power.
The dharna was the first occasion since the July 06
national executive meeting of the party when the two brothers
were seen together in public.
Although the two brothers were not seen conversing much
with each other, they seemed to be cautious about triggering
any fresh speculations.
Tej Pratap Yadav, the elder brother normally perceived as
a loose cannon, shot back at a group of journalists when they
tossed at him queries about the family feud, dont you know
he is my Arjuna.
The mercurial leader, who is fond of using mythological
symbols to drive home his point, has been since long likening
his younger brother to the warrior prince and asserting that
he has chosen for himself the role similar to that of Lord
Krishna, the charioteer-cum-strategist who ensured Arjunas
victory in the epic battle of Mahabharata while himself
staying away from the tussle for power. PTI NAC
SNS SNS

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from a PTI feed.)