RJD Leader Tej Pratap Yadav Challenges Rahul Gandhi’s Leadership, Backs Priyanka Gandhi as INDIA Alliance Chief

The RJD leader dismissed Rahul Gandhi’s public endeavors, stating that leading a national alliance requires more than embarking on marches or being photographed on motorcycles. Tej Pratap remarked that running a coalition is not achieved by "taking out yatras or sitting on a bullet," directly questioning the high command's effectiveness. Addressing Rahul Gandhi’s previous comments regarding Nitish Kumar’s resignation—where the Congress leader suggested Kumar succumbed to BJP pressure—Tej Pratap countered that Gandhi remains entangled in trivialities. He mockingly suggested that since Gandhi’s passion for riding motorcycles was not satiated early on, he has now developed a "greed for the chair." In a sharp personal jab, Tej Pratap added that Gandhi should focus on his interests in "cooking meat and chicken" rather than political leadership.

Further intensifying his rhetoric, Tej Pratap questioned Rahul Gandhi’s preoccupation with Bihar’s administrative shifts. He noted that after Nitish Kumar vacated the Chief Minister’s post, another leader assumed the role, yet Gandhi, who hails from a different state, remains fixated on the development. Tej Pratap pointedly asked if Gandhi harbored his own ambitions for the Chief Minister’s position in Bihar. This public fallout comes against the backdrop of Tej Pratap’s history of internal rebellion; during the Bihar Assembly elections, he broke ranks with the RJD to contest under his own Jan Satta Dal. Although he and his candidates faced a total defeat at the polls, his actions highlighted deep-seated friction within the Yadav family and the party.

The internal discord extends to the relationship between the brothers, as Tej Pratap has previously directed fierce attacks toward the close aides of his younger brother, Tejashwi Yadav. While their sister, Rohini Acharya, has frequently been seen supporting Tej Pratap on social media, the persistent rift within the RJD is widely cited as a primary factor in the party's electoral setbacks. By questioning the very core of the Congress leadership, Tej Pratap Yadav has not only exposed the fragile nature of the INDIA alliance’s unity but has also signaled a potential shift in the internal power dynamics of Bihar’s prominent political family, leaving the future of the opposition's collective strategy in a state of heightened uncertainty.