11-day puja held to resolve Tej Pratap Yadav's marital problems: Priest

Amid strains in the marriage of former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav's son Tej Pratap Yadav, an 11-day puja was performed at the Maa Vindhyavasini Devi temple here, a priest said Friday.

Lalu Yadav's family members have immense faith in the goddess enshrined there and have been frequent visitors to the temple in eastern Uttar Pradesh, bordering Bihar, said priest Raj Mishra.

The priest said he performed the 'havan puja' for them so that they can overcome their current problems.

"A havan puja was held for 11 days to please the 'grah nakshatra' and for peace in the entire family," Mishra said.

He said he talked over the phone with Tej Pratap Yadav, who asked him to pray to the goddess. Yadav could not be contacted to confirm this.

"I have been talking to him and the family all through, ever since the present problems surfaced. We held special prayers to the goddess for the entire family to overcome them," the priest said.

Mishra said he got the puja conducted by 11 priests and the 'purnahuti', marking the end of the prayers, was performed on Thursday night.

Tej Pratap Yadav, a former Bihar minister who has been in the news for his failing marriage, Friday said he is currently in Haridwar.

He told a tv channel that he would not return home until his family backs his decision to divorce his wife of six months.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal leader was seen Saturday in Bodh Gaya, where he had checked in at a hotel after meeting his ailing father at a hospital in Ranchi.

Lalu Prasad Yadav is learnt to have been upset over his elder son's decision to seek divorce.

The former chief minister is serving sentences in a number of fodder scam cases. At present, he is lodged at a hospital in Ranchi on medical grounds.

Tej Pratap Yadav and Aishwarya Rai -- daughter of RJD MLA Chandrika Rai and grandchild of former Bihar chief minister Daroga Prasad Rai -- had married on May 12.

"Our differences are irreconcilable. I had said this to my parents before the marriage was solemnised. But nobody listened to me then and nobody is listening to me now, the former Bihar minister has said.