New Delhi: Aishwarya Rai — the estranged wife of Tej Pratap Yadav — has accused Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) patriarch Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family of orchestrating a political drama ahead of the upcoming Bihar elections. Her scathing attack came after Lalu expelled his elder son, Tej Pratap, from the party and severed all familial ties with him.
Rai, who is the granddaughter of former Bihar chief minister Daroga Prasad Rai, said the move is nothing but a political stunt aimed at damage control after Tej Pratap’s controversial social media post, in which he claimed to have been in a relationship for 12 years. The post was later deleted, with Tej Pratap alleging his account had been hacked.
#WATCH | Patna, Bihar: “… Why was my life ruined? Why was I beaten? Now they have suddenly had a social awakening. They are all together. They have not separated… The elections are near, that is why they have taken such a step and created this drama…,” says RJD leader Tej… pic.twitter.com/DC2BXUdJO2
— ANI (@ANI) May 26, 2025
‘Sudden social awakening’
“Why was my life ruined? Why was I beaten? Now they have suddenly had a social awakening. They are all together. They have not separated. The elections are near, that is why they have taken such a step and created this drama,” said a visibly emotional Aishwarya Rai while speaking to reporters in Patna.
She alleged that Lalu Prasad Yadav’s family was well aware of Tej Pratap’s long-term relationship but still went ahead with the marriage in 2018. “If they knew everything, why did they get him married to me? Where was their social justice when I was thrown out of the house and blamed for everything?” she asked.
Rai claimed she learned about her own divorce proceedings and her estranged husband’s alleged affair through the media, stating that she was kept in the dark throughout. “I got to know about the divorce from the media. I had no idea what was going on,” she said.
Tej Pratap’s post triggered political storm
Tej Pratap’s post had triggered a political storm, as it contradicted the narrative maintained by the Yadav family during their public fallout with Aishwarya. While the RJD leadership projected the expulsion as a disciplinary step taken on moral grounds, Rai termed it an “optics-driven act meant to mislead voters”.
“They did it for polls. This drama is for polls. I am sure Rabri Devi must have gone to him, wiped off his tears, and assured him that she would make everything better. They are all in this together,” she added.
The couple’s marriage, solemnised in a grand political spectacle in May 2018, soon devolved into a bitter separation, with Aishwarya accusing Tej Pratap and his family of domestic violence and mental harassment.
