TUMKUR: The JD(S) might be facing a financial crunch as its supremo H D Deve Gowda claims so often. But this is not stopping party MLAs from spending lavishly on their children’s marriages.
The opulent wedding of three-time Gubbi MLA S R Srinivas’s daughter Tejaswini to Indian Forest Service officer Rajesh, hailing from Mandya, on August 30 and 31, has set a record of sorts.
No less than 40,000 guests attended the mega marriage.
“My team of 20 had prepared 40,000 beedas using 80,000 betel leaves and all were consumed,” said beeda maker Nagaraj. This alone cost `2.5 lakh.
The team of cooks, serving and cleaning staff, were paid `8.5 lakh, which excludes the items used to prepare about 12-13 delicacies, including four sweets, said Ramesh, a follower of Srinivas. Bottled mineral water was also ensured for one and all.
And, as is the tradition, guests also received ‘tamboola’ bags with coconuts.
“In fact, the MLA is very popular among the masses and hence he conducted the marriage elaborately so that all his supporters, including the poor from his constituency, attend it,” justified Shivakumar, a JD(S) leader.
Interestingly, over 100 legislators, including ministers and MPs, were among the VVIPs. Former prime minister H D Deve Gowda and his son, former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy, too blessed the couple during the reception on Saturday evening.
Sources said the total expenditure of the marriage may have touched `1 crore.
Law Minister T B Jayachandra, who also attended, said he was against such grand marriages and hence had proposed a law to bring them under the tax net.