Cricket to politics, Tejashwi pads up for new innings

During electioneering, when Narendra Modi questioned Lalu Prasad’s younger son Tejashwi Yadav’s educational qualification, the RJD chief took umbrage at the prime minister’s jibe and questioned Modi and his HRD minister Smriti Irani’s qualification.

“I challenge Modi to ask Smriti and my son Tejashwi to sit together and solve a Maths problem. Let’s see who emerges winner,” an angry Lalu shot back.

Even today, Lalu can’t tolerate a person criticising his younger son Tejaswi, who, on Friday, became Bihar’s Deputy chief minister.

Had Tejashwi not contested the Assembly election and filed his affidavit before the returning officer, very few people would have known that he is a school drop-out, who discontinued his studies after Class IX. He was then studying in prestigious school DPS, RK Puram, New Delhi, while his father was presiding over the Rail Bhavan in UPA-I.

Later, he played cricket and was a member of Delhi Daredevils before he padded up for another innings. He contested from Raghopur and trounced Satish Yadav, who had defeated his mother Rabri Devi in the 2010 Assembly elections. Having avenged the humiliation, Lalu-Rabri rewarded their youngest son with the second-most important post — Deputy chief minister — in Bihar.