A day after filing a divorce petition on grounds of "cruelty", RJD president Lalu Prasad Yadav's elder son Tej Pratap Yadav said he had wanted to remain a bachelor and married only under family pressure but there was no way he was going to continue with the "stifling life".
Talking to reporters while on his way to Ranchi to meet his ailing father, Tej Pratap said, "I am a simpleton… She is a Miranda House graduate. She is a modern woman.. high society and likes urban life. We are no match for each other and I am not going to withdraw my divorce plea." Even after meeting his father, Tej Pratap showed no signs of agreeing to any settlement.
Tej Pratap said he was more of a religious person and had made it clear to his parents that he wanted to remain a bachelor. "But the family pressurised me to get married and I had no option to but give in. Even after the marriage, they knew that we were not happy and once even Aishwarya had said after a fight that I should divorce her," he said.
"There is no point in living a stifling life (ghut ghut ke) and I have reached this decision after giving it a lot of thought," said Tej Pratap, who has recently returned from a trip to Vrindavan.
An MBA grad, Aishwarya is the daughter of RJD MLA Chandrika Rai and granddaughter of former Bihar CM Daroga Rai. Tej Pratap and Aishwarya were married in a star-studded wedding solemnised as per the traditional rituals in Patna on May 12.
Meanwhile, throughout Saturday, Tej Pratap and Aishwarya's family members and some close friends were in a huddle at Rabri Devi's 10-Circular Road residence and some RJD leaders said attempts were being made to reach a compromise between the couple. A source said the two were not on talking terms for the last few months and compatibility was an issue between them since the beginning.
Tej Pratap's younger brother and Leader of the Opposition in Bihar Legislative Assembly Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, however, refused to comment on it on the sidelines of an event saying it was a family matter which did not merit headlines.
