PATNA, May 26 -- After a day former minister Tej Pratap Yadav stirred a controversy by posting pictures with a woman and claiming his relationship with her, Rashtriya Janta Dal ( RJD) chief Lalu Prasad on Sunday expelled him from the party for six years on account of irresponsible behaviour, failing to conform to public probity and family values. The decision from the 77-year-old party head, who is ailing for last many years but continues to remain at the helm of the party, is seen as a move to salvage the party's image by portraying itself as an outfit that adheres to high moral standards and also avoid giving the rival parties, especially the ruling BJP-JD(U)-led NDA a chance to attack the RJD over Tej Pratap's 'personal life' ahead of the Assembly polls in the state slated later this year. The 37-year-old former environment minister and sitting MLA from Hasanpur (Samastipur) district. Tej Pratap, elder son of Lalu, had got married to Aishwariya Rai, daughter of former minister Chandrika Rai, in 2018. A divorce case of Yadav with Rai is going on in the court. In a tweet on his official X account, Prasad said, "In private life, showing disregard to the moral values weaken the social justice struggle. My elder son's activities, public conduct and irresponsible behaviour is not in conformity to our family's values and culture. So, under these circumstances, I distance my son from the party and my own family. From now on, he would have no association with our party and family. He is being expelled from the party for six years." The elder Yadav scion had on Saturday shared on his X account some pictures with a girl claiming he had been in relationship for last 12 years, as per media reports. Reports said Yadav in his account also shared that he loved the woman and some pictures showed her wearing sindoor (vermillon) on her head, which signifies a married woman as per Hindu tradition. However, Yadav, known for his mercurial temperament and off the cuff statements, had deleted the pictures from the X account twice, as per reports. In late evening, Yadav in his X handle wrote, "My account has been hacked and my pictures had been edited in a wrong manner to harass and defame me and my family...I caution my followers to remain alert and not get influenced by any rumours." The whole episode had blown into a major controversy from Saturday night triggering murmurs within the political circles. Tej Pratap has courted controversies in the past for his diatribes against state president Jagdanand Singh and also showing his reservations over younger sibling Tejashwi's big clout in the party. His apparent misdemeanour was not taken lightly by Tejashwi and the RJD chief, who apparently thought it prudent to distance themselves from him for facing more embarrassment ahead of the polls. In a first reaction on Tej Pratap's expulsion from the party, Tejashwi said on Sunday evening, that " indiscipline in the party cannot be tolerated" . "We work for the state . Private and public life is different. Tej Pratap is independent to take his own calls. He is an adult and can take his own decisions. Our party chief has taken a decision and we do not raise any question," Yadav said, while interacting with newsmen. RJD chief spokesperson Shakti Singh Yadav too voiced that the party was always committed to adhere to principles and ideology of social justice. "The decision taken by our party president only indicates how our party does not allow any irresponsible and indisciplined behaviour by any party leader or cadre," Yadav said. However, some in the ruling BJP have taken potshots at the posts shared by Tej Pratap in his account."Tej Pratap should have publicly talked about his association with a girl before getting married. He should seek apology for this behaviour from the family of Aishwariya Rai," said Nikhil Anand, senior BJP leader in a post. Incidentally, the family discord in RJD's first family is nothing new. After the RJD's poll debacle in 2005, RJD chief Lalu Prasad's brothers-in-law Anirudh Prasad and Subhash Yadav had developed differences with their jijaji ( Lalu), later moving out of the party. Many feel Tej Pratap's exit from the party has come as a big set back for the former minister, who has held ambition of getting more prominence in the party in the last many years and had also floated his own youth organisation called Dharmanirpeksha (Secular) Sevak Sangh (DSS) in 2017, touting it as a body to counter RSS. There was no comment from Tej Pratap over his expulsion till evening....