With the entire lalu Prasad family caught in a web of scandalss, one family member has taken up cudgels to ward off the bad omen by invoking divine powers.
With the RJD supremo making rounds of CBI courts in Ranchi and Patna, his daughter Misa Bharti and son-in-law Shailesh being summoned by the I-T Department and being fined for not turning up, opposition coming out almost every day with a fresh allegation of corruption and getting no moral support from any quarter, lalu’s elder son Tej Pratap is busy doing rituals and holding special prayers to ward off the evil forces. Tej Pratap is Health, Environment and Forest Minister and himself faced the heat last week when the Bharat Petroleum issued him a notice as a preface to terminate his dealership of retail petrol outlet.
Tej Pratap is now at Banke Bihari temple at Vrindavan in Mathura as a devout of lord Krishna, undergoing nirjala vrat (fast without water) to seek divine blessings and defeat the designs of his enemies. Accompanied by his close pals and security, he will stay at the lord’s abode till Saturday and will be back here by Sunday since he has to be present at the birthday bash of his father on June 11.
This particular prayer as advised by a trusted pundit has come after the ‘Dushman Maran Jaap’ he conducted in his official residence after making certain amendments in the Government bungalow as per the advise of the vastu experts.
Tej Pratap is a Krishna bhakt like his father but he also dress up sometimes like the Kanhaiya playing a flute. His one such photograph once caught the attention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who during one of his visits here had greeted Tej Pratap by saying, Aap to pure Krishna Kanhaiya lagte hain.
His ‘Dushman Maran Jaap’ created ripples in political circles here and senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi even suspected that it was being done to hurt him. It is the former Deputy Chief Minister, who had levelled a barrage of corruption charges against lalu, Rabri Devi, Misa, Shailesh, Tej, Tejashwi Prasad Yadav and other members of the family.
The Jaap continued for a week which was being held under the guidance of some pundits and tantriks brought from Darbhanga with Tej Pratap sitting there in red robes. No insider or outsider was allowed to reach the well guarded spot. The pundits also advised him not to use any old vehicle during the puja. He then purchased a Ford SUV for Rs37 lakh.
A BJP functionary Prem Ranjan Patel said that the RJD leader was conducting Dushman Maran Jaap to eliminate Sushil Modi. He alleged that earlier lalu too had conducted similar anushthan at Vindhyachal temple.