Aishwarya Roy calls Tej Pratap’s expulsion a ‘poll drama’, says Yadavs are misleading public

Aishwarya Roy, the estranged wife of Tej Pratap Yadav, dismissed his expulsion from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Yadav family as a staged political stunt. She claimed the move was aimed at misleading voters ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections and accused the family of jointly orchestrating the drama.

RJD patriarch Lalu Prasad Yadav announced on Sunday that Tej Pratap had been removed from the party and family for six years due to “irresponsible conduct” and behaviour inconsistent with the Yadav family's values. The announcement came a day after a controversial social media post allegedly from Tej Pratap's account claimed he had been in a relationship with a woman named Anushka Yadav for 12 years.

Aishwarya, however, rejected the move as a mere performance, stating that her estranged husband would be re-inducted into the party after the elections. She also questioned Lalu Yadav's moral posturing, accusing the family of ruining her life and failing to uphold the social justice they publicly preach.

The divorce battle between Tej Pratap and Aishwarya has been stuck in court for years. Aishwarya, the granddaughter of former Bihar CM Daroga Prasad Roy, had earlier accused her husband and in-laws of abuse and publicly criticised the family for forcing her out. Her father, Chandrika Roy, had also quit the RJD in protest.

Aishwarya’s latest statement echoes that of JDU leaders, who have also termed the expulsion a calculated election gimmick. Meanwhile, Tej Pratap claimed his Facebook account was hacked and that the controversial post was fabricated to malign him.