In a significant development from Patna, Tej Pratap Yadav, the elder son of former railway minister Lalu Prasad and president of the Janshakti Janata Dal (JJD), has formally approached the police, accusing an expelled party member of issuing death threats against him. The incident has sparked a major controversy, highlighting deep internal rifts within the regional party.
Police Complaint and Security Concerns
Tej Pratap Yadav, who previously served as a state health minister and contested from the Mahua assembly seat in the 2025 elections, lodged the complaint at the Secretariat police station. The First Information Report (FIR) has been registered based on his allegations, and an investigation is currently in progress, as confirmed by the Station House Officer (SHO).
Beyond the police complaint, Tej Pratap has also escalated the matter to the state's home department. He has written to Deputy Chief Minister (Home) Samrat Choudhary, seeking enhanced security cover in light of the perceived threat. Samrat Choudhary acknowledged receiving the letter and stated that the request for additional security is under active consideration by the authorities.
The Root of the Conflict: Expulsion and Allegations
The individual at the center of the storm is Santosh Renu Yadav, who was initially appointed as the national spokesperson for the JJD. According to Tej Pratap's complaint, Renu began deviating from the party's core ideology. He is accused of collecting money from party workers by making false promises of jobs and political favours.
These alleged actions led to his expulsion from the Janshakti Janata Dal on December 14. Tej Pratap claims that the final trigger for Renu's removal was misconduct linked to police recruitment processes and general indiscipline within the party ranks, following which Renu submitted his resignation.
A Public Feud Escalates to Legal Action
Since his expulsion, the conflict has spilled onto public forums, primarily social media. Tej Pratap alleges that Santosh Renu Yadav has been consistently abusing him and issuing direct death threats through various online platforms. Efforts to contact Renu for his side of the story have so far been unsuccessful.
The public spat intensified after Tej Pratap sent a legal notice to Renu, demanding corrective action for his statements. In retaliation, Renu has launched his own set of accusations. He has charged Tej Pratap with promoting caste-based politics and showing disrespect towards dedicated party workers. Renu publicly stated that Tej Pratap was "immersed in the arrogance of power and money".
This is not the first time Tej Pratap has been involved in a high-profile expulsion. He was previously expelled from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) for six years by his father, Lalu Prasad, after admitting to a relationship with a woman named Anushka—a claim he later retracted, stating his social media account was hacked. Lalu had publicly disowned him at the time, citing irresponsible behaviour.
Following that expulsion, Tej Pratap had alleged a conspiracy to create a rift between him and his brother, Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, venting his frustrations on social media and blaming unnamed "Jaichands" (a historical reference to traitors). The current dispute adds another layer to the complex political dynamics within one of Bihar's most prominent political families.
