Tejashwi's older brother Tej Pratap has been seen to resent his quick rise
Tejashwi Yadav is the political heir of RJD (Rashtriya Janata Dal) chief Lalu Yadav, and the party made it official last evening by authorising him to decide on the party's national agenda.
A resolution passed on Tuesday evening by RJD leaders and MLAs said Tejashwi Yadav, 32, would take all policy decisions in future. This is a significant move by the party ahead of an all-party meeting on a caste-based census in the state.
Lalu Yadav and his wife Rabari Devi, both former Bihar Chief Ministers, their daughter Misa Bharti, a Rajya Sabha MP, and older son Tej Pratap Yadav were present for Tejashwi Yadav's anointing.
Lalu Yadav presided over the RJD legislature party meeting where the resolution was passed.
Till now, every Rajya Sabha or Legislative Council list said candidates were selected by RJD chief Lalu Yadav "in consultation with Tejashwi Yadav". Now Tejashwi can take policy decisions and those will no longer be subject to his father's approval.
"Our MLAs have unanimously authorized Tejashwi to take decisions on our agenda. We will keep taking the leadership's advice," said senior RJD leader Uday Narayan Choudhary.
He denied any rift in the party over the change. "No one is upset. Everyone agrees with our decision," said the leader.
Last week, RJD leader Shivanand Tiwari had suggested that Lalu Yadav, who has been unwell for some time, should hand over charge to Tejashwi Yadav, his younger son and the most politically astute of all his children. Tejashwi emerged as a force to reckon with during the 2020 Bihar election, when he led the opposition alliance to a strong tally but fell short of a majority.
Sources say Lalu Yadav decided to parcel out his responsibilities to end any speculation about who will be boss after him.
Tejashwi's older brother Tej Pratap has often been seen to resent his quick rise to a leadership position in the party their father founded.
But in yesterday's meeting, Tej Pratap, a former state minister, appeared not to react to the announcement.
Tejashwi Yadav is one of the prime movers in the campaign for a caste-based census in Bihar, which the ruling BJP is strongly opposed to.
Pushed by Tejashwi Yadav, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar called an all-party meeting as a first step towards such a census, fully aware of ally BJP's views.
The BJP, caught between the demands of its Bihar unit and the central leadership's firm opposition to any caste-based count -- the party believes it is a divisive exercise - finally agreed to the meeting.