'Nafrat ka ek naya rang': Tej Pratap Yadav reacts to backlash over his 'dance or be suspended' remark to cop on Holi

TOI News Desk / TIMESOFINDIA.COM / Updated: Mar 16, 2025, 08:57 IST

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Former Bihar minister Tej Pratap Yadav faces backlash for his "dance or be suspended" remark to a policeman during Holi celebrations. BJP leaders and retired police officers criticize the RJD leader, accusing him of disrespecting the police force and reviving the era of "Jungle Raj" in Bihar.

'Nafrat ka ek naya rang': Tej Pratap Yadav reacts to backlash over his 'dance or be suspended' remark to cop on Holi

(ANI photo)

NEW DELHI: Former Bihar minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tej Pratap Yadav is facing massive backlash from all quarters for his "dance or be suspended" remark to a policeman during Holi celebrations. On Saturday, he accused BJP, RSS, and media of politicising the festival and spreading hatred.
"Don't mind, it's Holi... Even this festival of mutual brotherhood has been given a new colour of hatred by the BJP, RSS, and their lapdog media...," Yadav posted on X in Hindi, alongside a cartoon mocking media organisations.

"Doing politics over celebrating Holi with police personnel or any opposition leader has become their religion. The people of the country will soon teach them a lesson," he added.

The uproar erupted after a video from a Holi celebration at Yadav’s official residence in Patna on Friday, March 14, went viral. In the clip, the former Bihar minister was heard telling a police officer, "Nahi thumka lagaoge to suspend kar diye jaoge" (If you don’t dance, you will be suspended).

The remark triggered sharp reactions, particularly from BJP leaders, who accused Yadav of disrespecting the police force.
BJP MP Dinesh Sharma criticised Yadav, saying: "He (Tej Pratap) will never get the right to suspend anyone. And he belongs to a family that insults the police and the uniform... Inka gharana natak nautanki ke liye theek hai (their family is only fit for drama), they would be considered unfit to run the government."
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla also attacked Yadav, alleging that he was trying to bring back the era of "Jungle Raj" in Bihar.
"Like father, like son. Father was the chief minister, the family was in power, and Bihar was kept in jungle raj. He made the law dance to his tunes. Now, he is out of power, but his DNA is the same: he wants to bring back Jungle Raj. Instead of respecting the law and the person wearing the uniform, the way Tej Pratap Yadav has insulted the person wearing the uniform shows that Jungle Raj is in his mindset and DNA, but he should understand that Bihar has changed now. Now there is good governance here."

Several retired senior police officers have also condemned Yadav's comments, calling them an "insult" and demanding action against him.
Ajay Kumar Singh, a retired Delhi Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), urged authorities to act against the RJD leader while stressing that no action should be taken against the officer involved, as he was merely following orders.
"The uniform has dignity, and we have a code of conduct. It is clearly mentioned in the police manual that police personnel must not act against the code of conduct. Tej Pratap is behaving like an imposter; saying such things to your own security is an insult to the police."
Singh further added: "We are hurt by this act...The policeman is not at fault—he simply followed orders. Taking action against him would be unfair and unacceptable."

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