Patna: Chief minister Nitish Kumar has launched a massive campaign against two human rights issues blatantly violated in Bihar - dowry and child marriage - labelled the "mother of all campaigns".
Now, his deputy Sushil Kumar Modi is implementing it in spirit on the occasion of his eldest son Utkarsh's marriage.
The engineer groom, who works with a multinational company in Bangalore, is about to tie the knot with Yamini, a Calcutta-based chartered accountant, on December 3. Invitation cards have been sent out through WhatsApp only, clearly mentioning that no dowry is being exchanged and no gift will be accepted. "There
will be no feast on the occasion. Only prasad will be distributed," said Modi's close aide, Shailendar.
The marriage is not taking place in any posh hotel of Patna but is being organised at Sakha Maidan in Rajendra Nagar. "The bride's family hails from Munger and is settled in Calcutta," said a BJP leader.
Sushil's inter-religious marriage with Jessie George took place at the same venue in 1987. "It was quite a simple affair despite the presence of top politicians of the country," recalled RJD leader Shivanand Tiwari, who has known Modi for a long time.
"Some of the tallest BJP leaders like Atal Bihari Vajpayee came to bless the couple then also. But the guests were served only tea and biscuits," said a senior BJP leader, stressing that no-dowry and no-frills weddings are not a thing of publicity for most well-known BJP leaders in Bihar. "It is something he practises."
Unlike many of Modi's contemporaries, his two sons have shown no inclination to follow their father's footsteps so far.
"Modiji is setting an example and it will have an impact on dowry and huge costs incurred on marriages if other politicians and prominent citizens do the same. My experience tells me that the middle-class and lower middle-class follow the examples set by big people and in the process, end up spending more on marriages," said road construction minister Nand Kishore Yadav, an old associate of Modi, recalling his marriage in 1987 which was graced by the who's who of the BJP and RSS.
Old-timers recall that when Karpoori Thakur's daughter was to get married, the veteran socialist leader, who was then the chief minister, took off for only three days. "He refused to invite anyone to the marriage and left in a private jeep for his native place where the marriage was conducted. It was quite a contrast from the one witnessed in later years when not only the whole city but the entire country knew that the Bihar CM's daughter was getting married," said a senior socialist leader, taking a dig at Lalu Prasad.
