Detractors falsely linked me to woman, now claiming she gave birth to my child: Tej Pratap
Patna (PTI): Former Bihar minister Tej Pratap Yadav on Sunday accused his detractors of spreading rumours that a woman with whom they had "falsely" linked him has given birth to his child.
He addressed a press conference here late in the evening, vowing to take legal action against the 'Jaichands' (a metaphor for traitors referring to a 10th century Rajput chieftain who had colluded with Afghan invader Muhammad Ghori), including a Rajya Sabha MP and a member of the legislative council.
"I am distraught at rumours on social media that a woman with whom I had been falsely linked several months ago, which resulted in my expulsion from the party, has given birth to my child," said Yadav, who was expelled from the Rashtriya Janata Dal, headed by his father Lalu Prasad, following a post that had appeared last year on his Facebook page.
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He claimed that the viral social media post, which stated that he had been "in a relationship, for 12 years" with the woman, was a result of "hacking" of his Facebook profile by "the five Jaichands".
"There has been some suspense about who the Jaichands I have been speaking about are. Here are the names -- Mukesh Raushan, Sanjay Yadav, Shakti Singh Yadav, Rameez and Sunil Singh," Yadav alleged.
Notably, Sanjay Yadav is a sitting RJD MP and Sunil Singh is an MLC, while Shakti Singh Yadav and Mukesh Raushan are former MLAs, and Rameez is a close friend of Tejashwi Yadav, the younger sibling of Tej Pratap, who was recently elevated to the post of the party's national working president.
None of the persons named by Tej Pratap Yadav in the press conference was available for comments on the allegations.
Yadav said he came to know about rumours after he was told that Union minister Jitan Ram Manjhi has "congratulated" him upon the birth of the child.
"Recently, I hosted a well-attended feast on the occasion of Makar Sankranti. This has made my detractors wary of the prospects of my party. I will seek legal action against them. I will move the court. I have also sought an appointment with Home Minister Samrat Choudhary," Yadav said.
"I beg my detractors to let me live in peace. I know the person with whom the woman is in a relationship and who, I believe, is the father of the child. They are causing mental anguish to me by dragging my name," added Yadav, blowing hot and cold.
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Trump says EU has until July 4 to approve last year's trade deal or it will face higher tariffs
Washington (AP): President Donald Trump has said in a social media post that goods from the European Union would face higher tariff rates if the 27-member bloc fails to approve last year's trade framework by July 4.
The announcement on Thursday appeared to be a deadline extension after the president said last Friday that EU autos would face a higher 25 per cent tariff starting this week. Trump made the updated announcement after what he described as a "great call" with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Still, the US president was displeased that the European Parliament had yet to finalize the trade arrangement reached last year, which was further complicated in February by the US Supreme Court ruling that Trump lacked the legal authority to declare an economic emergency to impose the initial tariffs used to pressure the EU into talks.
"A promise was made that the EU would deliver their side of the Deal and, as per Agreement, cut their Tariffs to ZERO!" Trump posted. "I agreed to give her until our Country's 250th Birthday or, unfortunately, their Tariffs would immediately jump to much higher levels."
It was unclear from the post whether Trump was implying that the tariff rates would jump on all EU goods or the increase would only apply to autos.
His latest statement indicates he might be backing away from his earlier threat on EU autos by giving the European Parliament several more weeks to approve the agreement.
Under the original terms of the framework, the US would charge a 15 per cent tax on most goods imported from the EU.
But since the Supreme Court ruling, the administration has levied a 10 per cent tariff while investigating trade imbalances and national security issues, aiming to put in new tariffs to make up for lost revenues.
