Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Vadra likely to attend Lalu's son's traditional Bihari wedding
Patna: Congress president Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Vadra are among the dignitaries likely to attend the wedding ceremony of RJD president Lalu Prasad's elder son Tej Pratap Yadav on Sunday, a close aide of the family said on Saturday.
"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 by the end of the day," RJD national general secretary and MLA Bhola Yadav said.
Asked whether Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has confirmed his visit, Yadav, who had accompanied the RJD chief on the flight from Ranchi on Friday evening, quipped "how can 'chacha' (uncle) skip the wedding of 'bhatija' (nephew)?".
Fierce political rivalry spanning over decades notwithstanding, Kumar and Lalu Yadav 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.
On Friday, Lalu Yadav's eldest daughter and Rajya Sabha member Misa Bharti had said the invitation has been sent out to President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well.
"We would like them all to bless the young couple if their busy schedule permits them to do so," Bharti had said.
Meanwhile, the celebratory mood at the houses of former Chief Minister Rabri Devi, the groom's mother, and MLA Chandrika Rai, the bride's father, has grown more intense since Lalu Yadav's arrival.
The bungalows, barely a few hundred metres apart, have been decorated with flowers.
Traditional Bihari wedding rituals like 'Haldi' and 'Matkor' were being performed amid rendition of folk tunes on shehnai and other musical instruments.
On Friday night, on the occasion of 'Mehndi', Rabri Devi, Misa Bharti, Tejaswi Yadav, and groom Tej Pratap Yadav, were captured at 10 Circular Road, dancing to the tune of popular Hindi songs.
