Rift between Tejashwi Yadav, Tej Pratap? Misa Bharti denies admitting differences

Lalu Prasad Yadav’s daughter and Rajya Sabha MP of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) Misa Bharti on Monday denied acknowledging the differences between her brothers Tejashwi and Tej Pratap Yadav, saying that her statement has been twisted, hours after a video of her went viral.

Earlier in the day, there were reports that Misa Bharti had acknowledged the differences between Tej Pratap and Tejashwi Yadav amid speculation of a rift within the family. 

Addressing party workers in Bihar’s Maner, Misa Bharti reportedly said that there might be “differences between her brothers but the RJD is a big family”. She added that there is no shortage of votes for the RJD.She urged the party workers to “ignore the little things and focus on booth management instead in the upcoming elections”. 

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NDTV reported that last week, Lalu had summoned both brothers to Ranchi, where he is being treated at a jail hospital, to discuss the rift. The former Bihar chief minister is concerned that the tension between them might paralyse the party activity a few months before the general elections.

“My statement has been twisted. I had asked party workers to remain united and forget differences, the comment was not on our family. The family is one, no differences between us,” Misa Bharti told news agency ANI on Monday evening.

Earlier, Tej Pratap had claimed that some people were trying to create a rift in the family. Quashing the reports of leaving politics due to family pressure, he had said that there was no dispute in my family. “We stand united. We will make sure that BJP is defeated in Bihar in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections,” he had said.

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Hindustan Times quoted BJP spokesperson Nikhil Anand saying that Misa Bharti’s acceptance was no surprise.

“The RJD believes in family-based politics, which is boomeranging now. The family conflict will destroy the party soon,” he said.

Bihar Congress president Madan Mohan Jha, however, reportedly played safe saying that it was an internal family issue and that it should be resolved by them. 

In July, Tej Pratap posted on his Facebook account how Rabri Devi did not listen to his grievances. He had also spoken against state RJD president Ram Chandra Purve for not obeying him.

During the party's foundation day celebrations on July 5, Tej Pratap had said he was the master of all the senior leaders of the party, which did not go down well with the senior leadership.