“Thumka Lagao Or Get Suspended”: Tej Pratap Yadav’s Order To Cop Sparks Row

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tej Pratap Yadav celebrated Holi with party workers at his official residence in Patna on Saturday. A video from the event, which has since gone viral on social media, has sparked controversy as it shows Mr Yadav instructing a policeman to dance during the celebrations.

In the viral clip, Mr Yadav is seen seated on a stage, addressing a uniformed police officer. Mr Yadav can be heard saying: “Ae sipahi, ae Deepak, ek gana bajayenge uspe tumko thumka lagana hai. Bura mat mano Holi hai. Aaj nahi thumka lagaoge toh suspend kar diye jaoge (Hey, Deepak, I will play a song, and you will have to dance. Don’t mind, it’s Holi. If you don’t dance today, you will be suspended).”

The video has provoked a strong response from RJD’s political rivals, as BJP and JD(U) leaders have harshly condemned Mr. Yadav’s behavior. Both factions targeted the RJD leader, likening Tej Pratap to his father, Lalu Prasad Yadav, the ex-chief minister of Bihar.

“Like father, like son. First, the father – as the then chief minister – used to make the law dance to his tunes and turn Bihar into ‘Jungle Raj.’ Now, the son, despite being out of power, attempts to make law enforcers dance to his tunes through threats and pressure. He threatens a police personnel with suspension if he doesn’t dance. This shows that RJD believes in Jungle Raj. If they come to power even by mistake, they would violate the law and make its protectors dance. This is just a trailer. So, it is important to keep them away from power,” said BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla.

JD(U) national spokesperson Rajeev Ranjan Prasad also condemned the incident, saying: “‘Jungle Raj’ has ended, but the Yuvraj (Prince) of Lalu Yadav is threatening a policeman about the consequences if he does not comply with his instructions to dance. Bihar has now changed. Whether it is Tejashwi Yadav, Tej Pratap Yadav, or any of the family members of Lalu Yadav – they need to understand that such acts have no place in the environment of this changing Bihar.”

Elections to the 243-seat Bihar Assembly are scheduled later this year. The Election Commission of India has not yet announced the official dates for the polls.