After a bitter fallout, is Lalu Yadav's elder son getting back into the family?
At the politically influential Yadav household in Patna, Makar Sankranti was a time of reunion. Of sorts, at least.
The festive day saw Janshakti Janata Dal President Tej Pratap Yadav host a surprise visitor at home. It was his father and Rashtriya Janata Dal President Lalu Prasad Yadav.
On Tuesday, Tej Pratap had visited Lalu's home and personally invited his parents and younger brother Tejashwi to the dahi-chura ceremony at his home, but only Lalu seems to have accepted and turned up.
Dahi-chura is a simple Bihari dish made by mixing flattened rice with curd, jaggery or sugar and topped with bananas or any seasonal fruits. It is eaten especially during Makar Sankranti in Bihar.
Lalu Prasad's visit to his elder son's home also appears to have ended for now talk about estrangement between the two.
A bitter past
To rewind, in May last year, Lalu expelled Tej Pratap from the RJD and announced that the latter would have nothing to do with the family.
The expulsion followed Tej Pratap's social media post acknowledging that he was in a relationship with a woman for 12 years, despite being married (his divorce petition was still pending in court). He subsequently deleted the post, and claimed the account had been hacked.
Tej Pratap then floated the Janshakti Janata Dal and fielded candidates from many seats in the Bihar assembly elections, all of who forfeited their deposit.
Given this history, Lalu's presence at Tej Pratap's dahi-chura ceremony signalled the improving relationship within the Yadav political family.
Tej Pratap visited 10 Circular Road, Lalu's home in Patna, on Tuesday and met Lalu, mother Rabri Devi, younger brother Tejashwi Yadav and invited them to the dahi-chura ceremony at his home.
"Bete se koi narazgi nahi hai, hamara ashirvaad hamesha uske saath rahega. Ab Tej Pratap parivar ke saath rahega (I am not angry with my son. He will always have my blessings. Tej Pratap will now stay with the family)," Lalu said.
Tej Pratap was seen talking to Lalu, who was sitting with Bihar Governor Arif Mohammad Khan at the ceremony.
At the same time, Rabri Devi and Tejashwi Yadav's absence at the event was indicative that the fissures within the family are yet to heal fully.
Will Tej Pratap go with the BJP?
Tej Pratap attended a similar ceremony hosted by Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha, triggering speculation that he was moving closer to the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Is Tej Pratap keeping his options open? Will blood prove thicker than politics in the Lalu family?
While only the future can answer these questions, Janata Dal-United leader Ratnesh Sada had the last word.
"They are, after all, family," Sada said. "How can they not be together on a festive occasion when people are known to forget their differences, even if temporarily?"
Photographs curated by Anant Salvi/Rediff
Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff
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