Maharashtra BJP president Raosaheb Danve’s extravagant expenditure on his son’s wedding has come for much criticism. The Nationalist Congress Party demanded an inquiry by the Income Tax Department. “Narendra Modi needn’t go outside BJP to find black money. At a time of demonetisation when weddings are getting cancelled, here is a wedding where crores seem to have been spent. Where does all this money come from? Danve has shown where BJP leaders’ black money is,” Nawab Malik told The Sunday Guardian.
A day after the wedding, RSS ideologue M.G. Vaidya reportedly said that lavish spending on weddings was inappropriate. When The Sunday Guardian called him for his reaction, he said his statement was generic and that he wasn’t asked particularly about Raosaheb Danve’s son’s wedding. When asked specifically, he said, “Everybody should spend according to their own capability. There is nothing wrong in it.”
While many VIPs were seen attending the wedding, some prominent political leaders remained absent despite well-publicised invitations to them. Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray skipped the event, though Raosaheb Danve had gone to Matoshree to invite him. Another senior Sena leader and Aurangabad guardian minister Ramdas Kadam skipped the event. Senior BJP leader Madhav Bhandari too wasn’t seen at the event.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, along with most of the Cabinet members, attended the occasion. Many opposition leaders too attended the wedding.
At the venue there was a separate enclosure for VIP guests, who were served Indian to Chinese and continental dishes. The spread for the other guests was regular Indian food, local reports said.
But eyebrows were raised as the wedding was held in the Marathwada region and was attended by 30,000 guests. “This is the same area which has drough conditions and where water is a scarcity. This is the same area where farmers commit suicide due to agricultural distress,” Nawab Malik said.
NCP leader Sunil Tatkare said the event showed how BJP was a “party with difference”. A BJP leader said on the condition of anonymity, “Every leader has to follow the voice of his conscience. At such times, it is an individual decision on what course of action one should take. How much can the party dictate to someone?”
The venue, which resembled a well-crafted palatial set, was on the outskirts of Aurangabad. Many colourful chandeliers welcomed the guests at the entrance which was decorated with statues of peacocks and elephants, local media reported. Quite a few arterial roads were closed for VIP movement. The police monitored the movements with the help of drones.
Earlier, the pre-wedding invite had caused ripples. In the video, Raosaheb Danve’s son, Bhokardhan MLA Santosh Danve is seen riding a Porsche and enacting an English song with his fiancée Renu Sarkate. The video is shot on a sprawling property with fountains and huge gardens.