Mamata out, Mulayam in – Oppn’s Photo-Op on Tej Pratap’s Wedding

Tej Pratap Yadav, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav’s son, is all set to wed Aishwarya Rai, daughter of RJD MLA Chandrika Rai, on 12 May. The much-talked about wedding has obvious political overtones, with the rank-and-file of Indian politics on the guest list.An important question everyone is asking — will the ‘united’ opposition click a ‘family photo’ at the ceremony?Lalu Prasad being granted bail just a day before the ceremony has come as a relief to the Yadav family, but also has piqued interest about who all will arrive to break bread with the jailed RJD supremo.Hoping to Spot the GandhisWhile warm invitations have been extended to the Gandhis, an RJD leader close to Lalu told The Quint, “We hope that Rahul and Priyanka come for the wedding, but they are busy with elections in Karnataka, so it’s possible they might not be able to,” .Rahul visiting Lalu at AIIMS in Delhi on 30 April led to much political speculation and a number of conclusions being drawn. On 3 May, Lalu’s daughters Raklakshmi and Ragini met Sonia Gandhi to personally invite her to the wedding.However, nobody from the Gandhi family has confirmed their plans to attend or skip the wedding.Lalu’s Elder Son Tej Pratap Set to Marry Former CM’s GranddaughterMamata Likely to SkipWest Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on 11 May took to Twitter to congratulate Lalu on the wedding and the bail. Lalu, in his response, urged Mamata to attend the ceremony.According to the information available with The Quint, while Mamata won’t attend the wedding, a senior Trinamool Congress leader definitely would.Mulayam-Akhilesh To Grace the OccasionFormer Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav will reportedly attend the wedding.One of RJD leaders taking care of the preparations told The Quint that the Yadavs have confirmed their presence.Leaders from the parties of Farooq Abdullah, Sharad Yadav and Mayawati are also expected to be present. Over 10,000 guests are said to be attending the wedding.PM Modi InvitedPrime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah have also been invited to the wedding. However, they are not expected to attend. Bihar deputy chief minister Sushil Modi is reportedly travelling to Poland on Saturday, 12 May. Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, however, is expected to attend.BJP firebrand MP Shatrughan Sinha’s presence is confirmed. Sinha has been tweeting and taking stands in favour of Lalu for a few days now.Lalu’s Poor Health a Matter of ConcernThe wedding preparations have been marred by Lalu’s ill-health. Jailed on corruption charges related to the fodder scam, Lalu was granted six weeks’ interim bail by Jharkhand High Court on medical grounds.Lalu has been directed to not make political statements or speak to the media.One of the RJD’s leaders told The Quint: “Taking care of Lalu’s health will be a priority once the wedding is done. He will be taken wherever needed for the treatment.” However, he is not allowed to leave the country.Lalu’s kidney and heart are reportedly weak. His sugar levels reportedly shot to as high as 406 and was brought down to 135 after heavy medication.Lalu was on parole for three days before he was granted bail. He will have to travel to Ranchi jail on 14 May. He will then be released as per court orders.In Pics: Mehendi Ceremony of Tej Pratap Yadav & Aishwarya Rai (The story was first published on Quint Hindi and was translated to English by Eshwar Gole.)(The Quint is now on WhatsApp. To receive handpicked stories on topics you care about, subscribe to our WhatsApp services. Just go to TheQuint.com/WhatsApp and hit send.)

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Mamata out, Mulayam in – Oppn’s Photo-Op on Tej Pratap’s Wedding

With Lalu Yadav out on bail, will the opposition’s stars realign on the night of Tej Pratap’s wedding?

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Topics: Amit Shah Mulayam Singh Yadav Bharatiya Janata Party