Modi attends Mulayam kin's pre-wedding ceremony

Over 500 superior quality Swiss cottages were erected at Saifai, the native village of Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav for the pre-wedding ceremony of his grandnephew which was also attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday.

Over 100,000 invites were sent out for the 'tilak' ceremony of Tej Pratap Singh, Lok Sabha MP from Mainpuri, at Saifai, some 25 km from Etawah. He will get married to Raj Laxmi, the youngest daughter of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Prasad, Feb 26 in Delhi.

Modi arrived in Saifai on a special Indian Air Force (IAF) plane. He was welcomed by Mulayam Singh Yadav and his family members.

Modi wished the groom and interacted with other guests, including Lalu Prasad.

The prime minister also spoke to the children of the Yadav clan and shutter bugs went into a frenzy as they caught the prime minister in a jovial mood, chatting with the children.

Elaborate arrangements have been put in place for the lavish event.

Other than the Swiss cottages, 250 common cottages for relatives have also been erected at the venue. All hotels in Etawah, Mainpuri, Kannauj and Firozabad are booked for the guests.

A special pandaal has been erected in the 80,000 sq. ft. area and food will be served to the guests in German hangars which are water and fire proof.

Five super specialty ambulances, 500 vehicles, over 3,000 policemen and 12 Indian Police Service officials have been posted on security duty.

Mega Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan, who was also scheduled to attend the function, however, had some trouble as his plane was not allowed by the security agencies to land at the Saifai air strip.

His private air plane was diverted to Lucknow from where he later took a chopper to reach the native village of the Yadavs.

Bollywood actor Salman Khan, union Home Minister and senior BJP leader Rajnath Singh, industrialist Anil Ambani, West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi, JD-U national president Sharad Yadav, Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Babu Lal Gaur, Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh are expected to attend the function, beside others.

Chefs from five star hotels from Mumbai and New Delhi have prepared a lavish feast for the guests. - IANS