A show of strength

BJP president Nitin Gadkari’s son’s big fat Indian wedding proves that nothing succeeds like excess

As far as big, fat Indian weddings in recent times go, that of BJP president Nitin Gadkari takes the cake, the plate and the trimmings. Brave man, Mr Gadkari, throwing such an in-your-face bash for his son when his party is seeking to trip the government up on its excesses. Mr Gadkari’s towering personality, and we use the adjective advisedly, ensured that everyone’s who anyone and then some made it to Nagpur for the show. The feast included, among other things, several desserts which were orange in colour. We are trying to figure out whether this was owing to Nagpur’s well-known orange cultivation or Mr Gadkari wearing his party colour on his sleeve.

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Humble party worker that he is, the portly president ferried his guests in chartered planes and luxury vehicles. Now, let us not grudge Mr Gadkari and his colleagues the chance to kick up their heels and give their vocal chords a rest. After all, disrupting Parliament at the top of your voice is not an easy ride. We are glad that despite these politically fraught times, Mr Gadkari has stuck to true Indian tradition in over-the-top weddings. But, given his Maharashtrian origins, he could have drummed up a Bollywood personality or two to shake a leg. He could have ditched Nagpur and held the ceremonies on the Bandra-Worli sealink and got at least a few out of work foreign dignitaries to attend. But, then he is a man of simple tastes.

If anyone had any misconceptions that Mr Gadkari was not a popular lad within the ranks, this show of strength should be one in the eye for them. The bride and groom, whatever their names are, provided a pleasant backdrop to the whole proceedings. But then, what do you expect when Mr Gadkari takes centrestage, in fact takes up all of the stage? After all, nothing succeeds like excess.