Saffron allies competing over marriages for farmers’ kin

While Maharashtra is facing one of its severest droughts in recent history, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Vilas Katore has spent crores on the marriage of his son in Pune on Saturday. On the other hand, Shiv Sena and BJP have organised mass marriages in drought-affected Aurangabad in Marathwada region of the state. Interestingly, both allies are trying to compete with each other by taking efforts to reduce the intensity of drought.

Mr Katore, the director of Khed Agriculture Produce Market Committee in Pune district, also had an elephant and camel brought to the venue of the wedding. When NCP state president Sunil Tatkare was asked about this display of wealth, he agreed that it was very bad. “NCP will ask Mr Katore about this and will take action against him,” said Mr Tatkare.

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena organised a mass marriage for farmers’ daughters at Parbhani and Aurangabad in Marathwada region on Saturday and party chief Uddhav Thackeray and governor C. Vidyasagar Rao attended it. Mr Thackeray played the role of guardian of 244 grooms from farmers’ families. The Sena gifted Paithani sarees and utensils to the couples at the function.

Party MP Chandrakant Khaire and minister for road transport Diwakar Raote were the leaders who had made the programme a reality. Mr Khaire said that the party had been planning it for a few months. To counter the Shiv Sena, BJP too planned a mass marriage programme, which will be held at Jalna, the constituency of party’s state president Raosaheb Danve, on Sunday.

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis will attend the BJP’s programme. According to BJP spokesperson Keshav Upadhye, 527 couples including 14 from the Muslim community, 94 Buddhists, 14 Christians and 406 Hindus would be wed in the ceremony.

When asked if the BJP was competing with Sena, Mr Upadhye denied it and said that the programme had been planned in advance.