It was a moment that could’ve been straight out of a family drama-based movie, except this one played out at an airport, with cameras rolling and vests hanging in a garment store the background. Tej Pratap and Tejashwi, both in the middle of their election campaigns, had a chance encounter that neither of them seemed prepared for.
Tej Pratap Yadav, the elder son of Lalu Prasad, was in the middle of an interview with YouTuber Samdish Bhatia for his Unfiltered by Samdish show when he wandered into a FabIndia outlet, looking for a bandi — that sleeveless Nehru jacket every politician seems to own in multiple shades of khadi.
“Bandi hai, bandi? 38 mein bandi hai?” he asks a store attendant earnestly, before turning to Samdish and explaining, “Ham bandi apne liye dekh rahe hain…” (I’m looking for a vest for myself).
All very routine — until one of his aides quietly leans in and says, “Sir, Tejashwi ji saamne se ja rahe hain… (Sir, Tejashwi ji is crossing the shop)”
The camera pans just in time to catch Bihar’s Leader of Opposition, Tejashwi Yadav, strolling past with his entourage. The younger Yadav spots Samdish and quips, “Shopping kara rahe hain kya, bhaiya?” (Brother has taken you shopping?). Samdish shakes hands with him, and Tejashwi smiles and says, “Aap bada lucky hain (you’re very lucky).”
Meanwhile, Tej Pratap stands a few feet away, watching silently and seriously, expression firm, eyes fixed, before turning back to the rack of vests as if nothing had happened.
The two brothers, once the inseparable Lalu ke laal, don’t exchange a single word. The video of the silen and awkward exchange has gone viral.
When Samdish gently asks if they talk these days, Tej Pratap first dodges, then mutters softly, “Woh apna theek hain…” (He’s doing fine).
The awkward moment summed up more than any political statement ever could — two brothers in the same frame, divided by silence and politics.
FAMILY TIES (AND KNOTS)
The clip comes months after Tej Pratap Yadav’s very public fallout with his family. In May, Lalu Prasad Yadav expelled his oldest son from both the party and the household, citing his “irresponsible conduct” and deviation from family values.
That dramatic turn came after a Facebook post from Tej Pratap’s social media account claimed he had been in a relationship for 12 years with one Anushka Yadav. Tej Pratap later said his account had been hacked and the photos were edited to “defame” him and the family.
Soon after his expulsion, Tej Pratap dusted his hands and feet and launched his own political outfit, the Janshakti Janta Dal, and even declared that he would “choose death over returning to the RJD.”
“I am not hungry for power. Principles and self-respect are supreme for me,” he told PTI in a recent interview.
If that wasn’t enough to signal the split, Tej Pratap also unfollowed his younger brother Tejashwi and sister Misa Bharti on X, sending political watchers into overdrive.
Now, with elections inching closer in Bihar, the sight of the two brothers crossing paths, one shopping for a bandi, the other leading his team, may well be the most symbolic moment yet in the Yadav family saga.
– Ends
