Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav's son Tej Pratap Yadav will be getting married to senior RJD leader Chandrika Rai's daughter Aishwarya Rai in a star-studded ceremony on Saturday. A day before the D-day, traditional Bihari wedding rituals like 'Haldi' and 'Matkor' were performed at the houses of the couple. Several renditions of folk tunes on shehnai and other musical instruments were also heard at the houses.
The bungalows of the two RJD leaders are barely a few hundred metres apart. Both the bungalows have been decorated with flowers, green chillies and lemons have also been tied at several points to ward off evil eye.
The celebrations have gone a notch higher after Lalu was granted provisional bail for six weeks on health grounds on Friday. Lalu - convicted in a number of fodder scam cases - had appealed for bail saying his health is suffering and that he needs proper treatment. He was previously being treated at Delhi's AIIMS before being referred to a hospital in Ranchi. On Friday, Ranchi High Court granted him provisional bail on health grounds.
The wedding ceremony on Saturday is likely to see Congress president Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Vadra as guests. "We have received confirmation that Rahul and Priyanka will be coming to attend the wedding. UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi is also among the dignitaries invited from across the country. We hope to receive many more confirmations of visit by the end of the day," RJD national general secretary and MLA Bhola Yadav said.
He also confirmed Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's presence at the ceremony saying, "how can 'chacha' (uncle) skip the wedding of 'bhatija' (nephew)?". Fierce political rivalry spanning over decades notwithstanding, Kumar and Prasad have been close friends since the 1970s, when they had started off as student leaders and were active participants in the movement launched by Jayaprakash Narayan.
Lalu's eldest daughter and Rajya Sabha member Misa Bharti had said the invitation had been sent out even to President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "We would like them all to bless the young couple if their busy schedule permits them to do so," Bharti had said.
