Tej Pratap seeks divorce from Aishwarya Rai - how the drama unfolded

Tej Pratap Yadav had gotten married to Aishwarya Rai in a big bash in Patna that saw a host of celebrities including politicians turn up to greet the couple.

The marriage took place on the sprawling campus of Bihar Veterinary College in Patna on May 14, 2018 and the guests included Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Union minister Ramvilas Paswan, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Congress leaders Digvijay Singh and Abhishek Manu Singhvi and disgruntled BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha attended the ceremony.

Lalu Prasad Yadav had been granted bail to attend the event.

However, before they got married, Rabri Devi had made very specific demands from a daughter-in-law. 

Rabri Devi had once famously said: “I want a girl who will take care of the house, respect elders like me and not those who go to malls and cinema halls (Cinema hall aur mall jane wali ladki nahi chahiye. Ghar chalaane wali, bade buzurg ka aadar karne wali, jaise ki hum hain, waisi ladki chahiye)." 

Aishwarya Rai did her schooling from Bihar and stayed in Delhi for her higher education. Her father is Chandrika Rai, an ex-minister in Bihar government and a current RJD MLA.  Aishwarya Rai’s grandfather Daroga Prasad Rai was Bihar Chief Minister from February 16, 1970 to December 22, 1970.  

Tej Pratap’s behaviour has often raised questions that there was inner strife in the party after Tejashwi was picked as Lalu Prasad’s chosen heir and served as Bihar Deputy CM and currently as Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar assembly. 

His sister Misa Bharti had said in early October there was "tension between her brothers" and that she would no longer tolerate backstabbing within the party. She however backtracked later on.

Bharti while addressing a small gathering of party workers in Maner, Patna, where she said, "Where can you find that there is absolutely no strain or ill feeling? A little unease is everywhere. All five fingers of the hand are not the same. When in our own family, brothers are not getting along, then you know that RJD is a much bigger family."

In September, the young leader who is predisposed to dress up as Lord Krishna and was the laughing stock for fumbling his lines while taking oath as a Bihar minister, had dismissed speculations that there was family strife because he was overshadowed by his younger brother. He had called them attempts to drive a wedge between "Krishna and Balram".

The mercurial RJD leader, who had been away from the public eye for some time and whose absence at a meeting of top party leaders triggered fresh speculations of trouble within the Yadav family, was speaking to a regional news channel outside his residence in the state capital.

"I had gone to Mathura on a pilgrimage and fallen ill. Upon return, I spent my time recuperating and that is the only reason why I was not present at the meeting. Otherwise all people know that I do attend all RJD functions," the state's former health minister had said.

"Ghut-ghut ke jeene se toh koi fayeda hai nahi (No point living a life of misery)"

Lalu Prasad was upset over his elder son's decision to seek divorce. Tej Pratap Yadav met his father in jail post filing divorce petition where Lalu showed his anguish. The former Bihar minister also expressed displeasure over the role played by some of his close relatives, including in-laws, in his marital dispute.

Tej Pratap was putting up in Haridwar after he filed divorce. Earlier he said, he would not return home till his family backed his decision to divorce his wife of six months. Now as he has taken back his decision, the family's reaction is yet to come.