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Patna: RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav celebrating his 30th birthday aboard a chartered aircraft has sparked a war of words between his party and the ruling JD(U).

Tejashwi’s birthday was on 9 November and he was in Ranchi on the day to hold talks with the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) over seat-sharing for the Jharkhand assembly polls. He also met his father, Lalu Prasad Yadav, who is in judicial custody but undergoing treatment in a Ranchi hospital.

On his way back to Patna, Tejashwi cut a cake in the presence of close friends aboard the aircraft and shared the photographs on his Twitter handle along with photographs of celebrations in Patna.

आपका अटूट प्रेम और अखंड विश्वास हमें अन्याय और अत्याचार के ख़िलाफ़ मज़बूती से लड़ने की शक्ति प्रदान करता है। छोटी उम्र में बड़ी ज़िम्मेवारियों के साथ सदा आप सबों की अपेक्षाओं पर खरा उतरने का निरंतर प्रयास करता रहा हूँ और करता रहूँगा..बिना रुके..बिना थके। आप सबों का हार्दिक आभार pic.twitter.com/2qfCRqetRW — Tejashwi Yadav (@yadavtejashwi) November 11, 2019

The post sparked off an immediate reaction from the ruling JD(U).

“Tejashwi talks about the upliftment of Dalits and the downtrodden. He always tells people that he is the son of a poor Lalu Prasad,” said JD(U) spokesperson Sanjay Singh. “But he celebrates his birthday on a chartered plane. Our question is who foot the bill for the chartered plane? There should be a probe.”

“Tejashwi is fooling people in the name of socialism and poor,” he added. “Whenever he goes to Ranchi, he speaks about his concern for his father’s health but on the same day he celebrates his birthday lavishly in the air.”

Responding to the criticism, Tejashwi sought to play the caste card, saying some people could not see a “milkman’s son” drinking tea sitting in a plane.

Posting a tweet, he wondered why other people were “getting a stomach ache” over the issue. “People are saying that a milkman’s son is drinking tea on an aircraft,” his tweet read. “I also eat guava, corn and chaat on the streets and kebabs on planes too. But other people are getting a stomach ache over it.”

दूध वाला प्लेन में चढ़ चाय कैसे पी रहा

यह एक और इल्जाम हम पर आ रहा कुछ लोगों को परेशान देख हम परेशान हो जाते है।अफ़सोस! फिर भी उन लोगों के मुर्शिद उनसे ख़ुश नहीं हो पाते है। हम सड़क पर अमरूद,भुट्टा,भूंजा और चाट भी खाते है और प्लेन में कबाब भी। लेकिन पेट दर्द किसी और को होता है pic.twitter.com/1P1h8hi1Fc — Tejashwi Yadav (@yadavtejashwi) November 12, 2019

Also read: Tejashwi Yadav’s style of politics is isolating him and driving away RJD faithful

RJD hits back but privately worries about optics

The RJD has hit back, targeting Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

“What is the fuss all about?” RJD spokesperson Chitranjan Gagan asked. “Why cannot Tejashwi Yadav take a chartered plane? Political leaders of all parties do. The JD(U) and BJP leaders have a feudal mindset.”

Gagan also questioned the “lavish lifestyle” of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, claiming he has three bungalows, including one in Delhi, and changes cars and SUVs on a regular basis.

In private, however, RJD leaders agree that the controversy should have been avoided.

They stress that Tejashwi should have followed in the footsteps of his father who always celebrated his birthday with his followers at his residence. “It strengthens the perception that Tejashwi is a non-serious politician,” said a former RJD MP. “He should concentrate on politics as the assembly polls are just a year away.”

This, however, isn’t the first time that Tejashwi has been targeted for his extravagance. After he vacated his official residence, 5 Deshratna Marg, earlier this year for Bihar Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi to move in, the latter had claimed that the bungalow resembled a “seven-star” mansion with 46 ACs, a billiards room, a Yoga room, a walking track and a swimming pool under construction.

Also read: Nitish’s JD(U) makes a move while BJP scraps with Shiv Sena — make room for us in Cabinet

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