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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NATO, others turn down US call for help in Hormuz: Trump
Washington (PTI): President Donald Trump on Tuesday said NATO and most of US' other allies have rejected his calls to help secure the Strait of Hormuz as the war with Iran entered the third week.
In a social media post, Trump asserted that Iran’s military has been “decimated” and he no longer felt the need for assistance from NATO countries or anyone else.
Last week, Trump had sought help from European nations and others who depend on oil supplies transiting from the Hormuz Strait to safeguard the critical waterway.
“The United States has been informed by most of our NATO “Allies” that they don’t want to get involved with our Military Operation against the Terrorist Regime of Iran, in the Middle East, this, despite the fact that almost every Country strongly agreed with what we are doing, and that Iran cannot, in any way, shape, or form, be allowed to have a Nuclear Weapon,” the US President said in a post on Truth Social.
Iran's attacks on Gulf nations and its grip on the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil is transported, have sparked increasing concerns of a global energy crisis and are unnerving the world economy.
“I am not surprised by their action, however, because I always considered NATO, where we spend Hundreds of Billions of Dollars per year protecting these same Countries, to be a one-way street — We will protect them, but they will do nothing for us, in particular, in a time of need,” Trump said.
He said Australia, Japan and South Korea too have turned down his call for help.
“Fortunately, we have decimated Iran’s Military – Their Navy is gone, their Air Force is gone, their Anti-Aircraft and Radar is gone and perhaps, most importantly, their Leaders, at virtually every level, are gone, never to threaten us, our Middle Eastern Allies, or the World, again,” Trump said.
He said that given the scale of recent military successes, the US no longer "need" or desires assistance from NATO countries, adding that it never relied on such support in the first place.
Speaking as President of the United States, the "most powerful" country in the world, "we do not need" help from anyone, Trump said.
The West Asia conflict began on February 28 when the US-Israeli combine conducted airstrikes on Iran.
The Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway that connects the Persian Gulf to the open ocean, has effectively been shut following the US and Israel attack on Iran and Tehran's sweeping retaliation.
However, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had said that from Tehran's "perspective", the strait is "open". "It is only closed to Iran's enemies, to those who carried out unjust aggression against our country and to their allies.”
Earlier in the day, a second Indian-flagged LPG tanker, Nanda Devi, reached the country after safely sailing from the war-hit Strait of Hormuz. On Monday, the first ship, Shivalik, reached Mundra port in Gujarat.
As of now, 22 Indian vessels remain on the west side and two on the east side of the strait.
Indian authorities are in constant touch with all the relevant stakeholders in the region to secure the safe passage of the remaining ships, officials said.
