"Respect Elders": Tejashwi Yadav's Latest Shot At Brother Tej Pratap

In the renewed tussle between Bihar politician Lalu Yadav's sons Tejashwi and Tej Pratap, the former has taken on his elder sibling with a punchline not without a tinge of irony: "Our parents have taught us to respect elders".

Amid the resurgent fight in the Rashtriya Janata Dal, which has seen Tej Pratap target the party's Bihar unit president Jagada Nand Singh, who is also its most senior member, Tejashwi Yadav has decided to take the firm way with his older brother.

"Tej Pratap may be the elder brother but our parents have taught us to respect elders and be disciplined even though resentment and anger are common in politics," is the message that Tejashwi has sent out for Tej Pratap.

The swipe came as the proxy war between the two brothers flared once again in the last few days and saw Tejashwi, the one with more sway in the party, remove the party's student unit chief, infuriating Tej Pratap.

Akash Yadav, Tej Pratap's protege, was collateral damage in the sibling rivalry. Sources say, Tejashwi Yadav, Lalu Yadav's younger son and political heir, had his father's tacit approval.

Before sacking Akash Yadav, Tejaswi Yadav also persuaded a Tej Pratap adversary, Jagda Nand Singh to come out of his sulk. An upset Jagada Nand Singh had stopped going to office after Tej Pratap accused him of running the party "Hitler-style".

Lalu Yadav, who has resumed his political activities since his release from jail earlier this year, has been "monitoring" the shenanigans and cleared Tejashwi's moves knowing full well that his older son Tej Pratap would be furious.

The RJD veteran believes that if Tej Pratap is not reined in now, he will continue to needle Tejashwi and that is unacceptable to him.

RJD sources believe Lalu Yadav has decided that enough is enough when it comes to Tej Pratap, who has been a constant source of embarrassment for the party with his controversial statements, his penchant for posing in costumes, and his rocky marriage.